Lady Blazers sink Lady Pirates for historic back-to-back NCAA volleyball sweeps

Game Sunday

(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
2 p.m. – San Beda vs UPHSD (men)

MANILA, Philippines – College of St. Benilde swept its way to the NCAA volleyball title for the second straight season to secure its place in the league’s hierarchy as one of the greatest teams of all time.

The Lady Blazers completed their date with destiny by mauling the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates, 25-19, 25-11, 25-20, on Friday to cap off a perfect Season 98 campaign where they won all their 11 games, including two in the one-sided finale.

It matched an equally magnificent season the year before when the league of extra ordinary ladies from Taft Avenue went undefeated.

It was CSB’s third title in all, but what set it apart was it accomplished what no team had done in several decades — win the league back-to-back via sweeps.

Jhasmin Gayle Pascual fired a game-high 15 points, the same output she had in powering her squad to a 25-17, 25-19, 25-19 triumph in the series opener last Tuesday.

Jade Gentapa, for her part, chipped in 13 hits and was later named Finals MVP over Pascual.

CSB coach Jerry Yee, who coincidentally turned a leaf on this same momentous day, later said he was relieved they managed to get through this season despite missing last year’s MVP Mycah Go, who missed out the whole season after suffering an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear early this year.

But Go, who still sat on the bench as part of Yee’s staff, is set to be back next season when the Lady Blazers go for a three-peat feat, and possibly another sweep.

“For us, mailusot lang namin itong taon, okay na kami in the coming years,” said an emotion-less Yee. “Hirap competition ngayong taon dahil nag improve at naging competitive lahat ng teams.”

In men’s action, San Beda denied University of Perpetual Help a title sweep with a shock 17-25, 25-27, 25-22, 25-23, 15-11 Game Two win that arranged a no-tomorrow showdown Sunday.

Earlier, the league feted Mary Rhose Dapol of UPHSD as MVP and first best spiker along with Gentapa (second outside spiker), Arellano U’s Tina Marice Abay (first middle blocker), LPU’s Janeth Tulang (second middle blocker), Pascual (opposite spiker), Marian Tracy Andal of UPHSD (libero), Venice Puzon of LPU (setter) and Shaila Omipon of UPHSD (rookie).

The awardees in men were UPHSD’s Louie Ramirez (MVP) and Joshua Zareno (opposite), Letran’s Vince Virrey Himzon (first middle blocker and rookie), Mapua’s John Benedict San Andres (first outside spiker), Emilio Aguinaldo College’s Joshua Ramilo (second outside spiker) and Bhimn Lawrence Diones (libero), and AU’s Jethro Jasper Cabillan (second middle blocker) and Adrian Villados (setter).