Colegio de San Juan de Letran displayed poise under pressure, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 20-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-19 triumph over Lyceum of the Philippines University in the V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena in Manila on Sunday.
Gia Maquilang and Sheena Sarie led the way for the Lady Knights, scoring 21 and 15 points, respectively, as they recovered from a three-match slump after their opening-game victory, improving their record to 2-3.
The win also dealt a blow to Lyceum’s playoff chances, as the Lady Pirates dropped their fifth straight match, eliminating them from post-elims contention in the pre-season tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Meanwhile, Letran’s victory breathed new life into their playoff hopes, pulling the Lady Knights into a tie with the St. Benilde Lady Blazers for fifth place.
“We’re still catching up. The rookies are still adjusting, finding the right cohesiveness and connection,” said Letran head coach Oliver Almadro.
Despite a late surge from Lyceum, which closed the gap to 15-16 in the fourth set, Letran responded with a 7-2 run to secure the set and the match.
Key plays from Sheena Sarie, including a crucial tip, and Angelique Ledesma’s timely block, coupled with an unexpected attack error from Lyceum’s star hitter Johna Dolorito, sealed the Lady Knights’ much-needed win.
Lyceum had its chances, particularly in the third set, where it squandered four set points at 24-20. Letran’s Heart Bio sparked a rally with a quick attack, followed by three consecutive aces from Joan Doguna to push the set to a dramatic extension.
However, Maquilang’s back-to-back attacks allowed Letran to steal the set and a 2-1 advantage.
“Good thing we have (the V-League) para competitively nakakacompete pa rin kami. What’s important is nakikita namin ano pa need i-improve: we need maturity, we need cohesiveness, we need more grit, na kahit ano mangyari, laban pa rin nang laban,” added Almadro.
Letran will wrap up its elimination round against undefeated UST on Sept. 13 at 12 p.m.
Meanwhile, Lyceum, led by Doguna and Dolorito with 13 and 11 points, respectively, will face St. Benilde on Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.
