BY ABBY TORALBA
COLLEGE of St. Benilde kicked off its bid for a three-peat with a runaway 25-15, 25-14, 25-23 victory over Emilio Aguinaldo College yesterday as the 99th NCAA women’s volleyball tournament got going at The Arena in San Juan.
Except for the third set, the Lady Blazers were nothing short of impressive as they claimed their first win this season while extending their winning streak to 30 straight including a couple of 11-game title sweeps the last two seasons.
They were put to a big test though in the third set when the Lady Generals took a 21-19 edge but the back-to-back champions regrouped and went on a rampage from there, taking six of the last seven points that sealed the deal.
Michelle Gamit paced CSB with 10 points while Jade Gentapa and Gayle Pascual chipped in eight hits apiece.
The game also saw the return of former skipper and league MVP Mycah Go from various knee injuries that sidelined her for more than a year.
“Kinakabahan ako, tagal na kasi hindi naglaro,” said the 23-year-old Cebu native, who added she’s already 60 percent before going into full strength.
In men’s play, EAC turned back CSB 22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12 to set in motion its bid to replicate, if not surpass, its Final Four finish a season ago.
Jan Ruther Abor came off the bench and unleashed a 26-point performance laced with 25 booming kills while Marvin Williams Romero and captain Kenneth Batiancila chipped in 16 and 11 hits, respectively.
