Colegio de San Juan de Letran Lady Knights drew first blood in the NCAA Season 101 Women’s Volleyball Finals after outlasting College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers, 17-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-14, 15-11, on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
After dropping the opening set, the Lady Knights responded with a strong showing in the second frame to even the match, but CSB regained control with a massive third set win.
Letran surged back in the fourth with a dominant performance to force a deciding set. The Intramuros-based squad then held its composure in the fifth to secure a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Judiel Nitura led the Lady Knights with 18 spikes, two aces, and one block to be named Player of the Game, while Vanessa Sarie added 19 spikes and contributed on the defensive end with 15 receptions.
Gia Maquilang also delivered an all-around effort with 18 points built on three aces, along with 17 digs and 13 receptions, and Lara Mae Silva anchored the defense as she tallied 37 digs.
Letran can complete a championship series to their impressive season with a win in Game 2 on Wednesday at the same venue.
