MANILA, Philippines – Reigning champion De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has eased to a dominant 5-0 start in the NCAA Season 98 women's volleyball tournament, with Gayle Pascual doing some of the heavy lifting in their title-retention campaign.
The Lady Blazers kicked off their week with a convincing sweep of erstwhile undefeated University of Perpetual Help System DALTA to end the Lady Altas' three-game win streak last Tuesday, and went on to get the last laugh over the feisty Lyceum of the Philippines in a tight five-set affair on Saturday.
In both games, the veteran opposite hitter came through for the Lady Blazers with her steady production on both ends of the court. In their 25-23, 25-21, 25-22 win over the Lady Altas, Pascual shone for Benilde after delivering 22 points off 20 attacks and two blocks.
Meanwhile, in Benilde's 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 25-13, 15-9 escape over Lyceum, Pascual's offensive production of 20 points helped them extend their winning run to 23 games, dating from Season 95.
With her reliable showing for the streaking Lady Blazers, Pascual was named the Collegiate Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week presented by San Miguel Corporation and Philippine Sports Commission with MNL Kingpin, Tinapayan Festival, and Jockey as minor sponsors.
Pascual edged out teammate Jade Gentapa, Mapua University's Roxie dela Cruz, Colegio de San Juan de Letran's Judiel Nitura, and Emilio Aguinaldo College's Cath Almazan for the weekly award.
Pascual and the rest of the Taft crew are expected to not rest on their laurels with a few games left in the elimination round. After all, they are gunning for a second straight championship title after sweeping the previous season all the way to its finals showdown with Arellano.