Colegio de San Juan de Letran overcame Jose Rizal University, 28-26, 25-22, 11-25, 25-22, on Friday in the NCAA Season 100 women's volleyball tournament at the San Sebastian College-Recoletos gym in Manila.
After a third set hiccup which saw JRU lead by 15, 22-7, before they claimed the victory, the Letran Knights seemed to have a hard time recovering.
In the fourth set, the Lady Bombers were leading 18-14 before Letran scored three straight to cut the deficit. A double contact was called on the Lady Knights which gave JRU a 19-17 lead but the Intramuros-based squad climbed back and reclaimed the lead, 20-19. Back-to-back aces from Judiel Nitura handed Letran a 22-19 lead.
JRU inched closer, 22-21, but a service error put Letran in front again. An attack error from Letran gave JRU a slight chance to extend the match but rookie Sheena Sarie finished the match for the Lady Knights.
Almadro said his players are still adjusting with their roles, especially with nine rookies coming.
"Kakatapos lang ng beach volleyball last week, Lara [Silva], Gia [Maquilang] just returned. I have a lot of rookies, 65 to 70 percent ng players namin rookies, so I have to maximize, ma-feel nila ang NCAA and I'm not hurrying it up naman. Ang sa amin lang, we have to be consistent and the result will take care of itself," Letran head coach Oliver Almadro said, adding that they will also have to adapt as well with the league's two-round format.
Sarie posted 22 points anchored on 21 attacks in her debut for the Lady Knights, while Yen Martin added 17 points. Judiel Nitura made 16 points.
Patricia del Pilar led JRU with 16 points, while Nicole Deala added 15. Cherish Dayame and Gayle Batara had 13 points apiece for the Lady Bombers.
Letran will face Mapua University on Thursday, while JRU will try to bounce back against the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on the same day.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
