Santiago sizzles as NU thrashes St. Benilde in Shakey’s V-League

By: Celest R. Flores - 11 years ago

MANILA, Philippines—National University banked on Jaja Santiago to help overpower St. Benilde, 25-11, 25-14, 25-17, and formalize its entry to the semifinals of the 11th Shakey’s V-League First Conference.

The towering 6-3 Santiago, who missed several games due to her stint in Asian Club Championship in Thailand, finished with 18 hits, including five blocks, for the Lady Bulldogs.

Myla Pablo and Aiko Urdas, meanwhile, had 11 and 10 hits, respectively, while the older Santiago, Dindin, only had two markers.

The win officially sealed NU the top seeding in group 2 and set up a best-of-three semis duel with the University of Santo Tomas.

“We can’t go easy in the next game because all our opponents are strong,” said head coach Ariel Dela Cruz, who said the loss to Davao was a “wake up call.”

The Lady Blazers ended the quarterfinals winless as they failed to match the Bulldogs’ firepower with Jeanette Panaga topscoring with eight.