San Beda stays in Final 4 hunt, overcomes gritty Mapua

San Beda held its ground and stayed alive for a Final Four spot in the NCAA Season 92 women’s volleyball tournament, stopping Mapua in five sets, 25-16, 25-15, 22-25, 20-25, 15-9 Friday at San Juan Arena.

The Lady Red Spikers improved to 6-3, solidifying their hold of the fourth spot behind defending champions College of St. Benilde which sits at third.

Head coach Nemesio Gavino pulled out most of his starters in the third and fourth set, a move which almost cost them the win as the 0-9 Lady Cardinals tried to pull off a stunning upset.

“I wanted to give my second stringers the confidence they need because we can’t just rely on our first six,” said Gavino. “Once the fifth set started I just told them to forget about the first sets and focus on this last one so they can get over those frustrations.”

Francesca Racraquin, who suffered muscle spasms on the left part of her abdomen after the game, led San Beda with 16 points while Satrianni Espiritu added 13.

Paticia Pena led the Lady Cardinals with 13 points.

San Beda’s 6-3 record is the school’s best since 2014 when Frances Molina, who represented the Philippines as part of F2 Logistics in the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship, and Janine Marciano still played for the Lady Red Spikers.