Panaga, Lady Blazers survive Lady Knights in NCAA volleyball

Defending champion College of St. Benilde bucked a slow and sloppy start as it turned back Letran, 25-27, 23-25, 25-22, 25-7, 15-12, Sunday to clinch its second straight win in the NCAA Season 92 women’s volleyball tournament at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Last year’s Finals MVP Jeanette Panaga and Ranya Musa took turns and fired a game-best 19 hits apiece to power the Lady Blazers to their second win in a row and the solo lead.

It was also the seasoned pair of Panaga and Musa, who wreaked havoc in St. Benilde’s come-from-behind 17-25, 25-20, 24-26, 17-25 win over Perpetual Help in last week’s opener.

“Credit to Letran, they played a great game and we we were sluggish at the start,” said St. Benilde coach Macky Carino. “Good thing the players refused to give up and just kept fighting.”

Spearheaded by Mikaela Lopez and Glayssa Faith Torres, the Michael Inoferio Lady Knights surprised the Lady Blazers by stealing the first two sets and appeared headed to completing a straight set victory after a closely fought third set.

But Panaga and Musa stepped up and willed St. Benilde to take the third set, stay alive and forced a deciding fifth set that it eventually took.

In men’s action, St. Benilde nailed its first win after routing Letran 25-19, 25-13, 26-24.

Earlier, the Squires trounced the Junior Blazers, 25-16, 25-19, 25-19, to likewise secure their first triumph.