NCAA volleyball: Benilde stops Mapua to boost Final Four chances

St. Benilde Lady Blazers. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Benilde strengthened its bid for a Final Four spot after stomping down Mapua in straight sets, 25-18, 25-15, 25-17, in the NCAA Season 93 women’s volleyball tournament Thursday at Filoil Flying V Centre.

The Lady Blazers, who still have a game left in their schedule, improved to 5-3 and tied Jose Rizal University at fourth seed as the end of the elimination round nears.

The Lady Cardinals, meanwhile, wrapped up their campaign with a 0-9 record.

Benilde head coach Arnold Laniog used the game against to give exposure to some of their bench players heading into the Final Four.

“Our target today was to perform what we did in practice and also to improve in the areas we need to master if we want to go further,” said Laniog in Filipino. “And we gave a chance to some of our players to feel what it’s like playing in front of a crowd.”

Chelsea Umali, Felicia Cui, Claire Sarmiento, and Ellaine Dolorito played significant minutes in the win but Rachel Austero and Ranya Musa led the Lady Blazers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Patria Pena, Lorraine Barias, and Katrina Racelis all had five points to lead Mapua.