Lady Cardinals score crucial win

MANILA, Philippines — Mapua leaned on its young guns as it turned back Letran, 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 27-25, yesterday to bolster its Final Four bid in NCAA women’s volleyball at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

Rookie Raisa Ricablanca and sophomore Roxie dela Cruz came through big in lifting the Lady Cardinals to their third straight victory and fourth in six outings that breathed life to their hopes of making the next phase.

Ricablanca was Mapua’s top gun after unleashing 19 points that included 15 crisp spikes while Dela Cruz did the rest with 14 hits and key defensive numbers – 11 digs and 10 receptions.

It was a result that catapulted Mapua to No. 3, a spot it shares with Letran, which has now dropped two in a row after making heads turn with four straight triumphs to start the season.

More importantly, Mapua has slowly but surely crept into duplicating its Final Four finish last year.

And if all goes well, the Lady Cardinals can barge into the finals for a shot at a breakthrough championship.

Mapua could have easily smashed Letran in straight sets had it not imploded and lost a 15-10 lead in the third set.

The Lady Knights took that set to stay alive.

It almost reoccurred in the fourth when Mapua’s 23-18 lead vanished but managed to regain its form in time late in the set to keep the set and the win.