NCAA champ CSB looks to iron out kinks in Shakey’s Super League campaign

CSB Lady Blazers. NCAA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—After a perfect run in the NCAA Season 97 women’s volleyball tournament, College of Saint Benilde star Mycah Go said her team wants to see more improvements from her team as they enter a new battlefield in the Shakey’s Super League (SSL).

The reigning NCAA MVP, who led her team to a perfect 11-0 championship run, believes that the Lady Blazers are only as good as their last performance. That’s why they are eager to learn new things in the preseason tournament, where 10 NCAA teams and eight UAAP schools vie for the crown.

“We always say that as long as there is a league, we will play our game and do our job. We will (compete) as a team wherever we play,” said Go in Filipino during the SSL press conference on Saturday.

“Our NCAA championship is over. Our mindset is we’re back to zero. We will start a new campaign so we have to embrace our respective roles,” she added.

St. Benilde opens its Pool D campaign against perennial UAAP contender Far Eastern University on September 24 at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

The Lady Blazers are also grouped with the UAAP runners-up La Salle Lady Spikers and fellow NCAA team Letran Lady Knights. Only the top two from each of the four groups will advance to the next round.

As a team that never lost in two years including an unbeaten campaign in the 2020 NCAA season before it was wiped out by the pandemic, Go said her squad is not looking at its standing as pressure.

“We don’t have to feel that kind of pressure. As for us, all the teams are training and playing. That’s what we’re going to do same with everybody,” said the wing spiker. “We’re just excited that we’re playing in another league aside from NCAA. We won’t be inactive for a long period of time. At least in this league, we will be able to correct our mistakes and improve the things we have to work on.”

St. Benilde coach Jerry Yee wants to make the most of the league’s all-to-play rule to give exposure to all of his players aside from Finals MVP Gayle Pascual, and setter Cloanne Mondonedo.