Bella Belen, center, and the NU Girl Bulldogs have fun throughout Sport 1 of the Shakey’s Tremendous League Finals towards the FEU Girl Tamaraws.–SSL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — A composed Nationwide College outlasted Far Jap College, 25-22, 18-25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-13, in a pressure-packed Sport 1 of the 2024 Shakey’s Tremendous League (SSL) Nationwide Invitationals on Monday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Veterans Bella Belen and Erin Pangilinan rallied the Girl Bulldogs again from two factors down early within the fifth set earlier than Alexa Mata and Myrtle Escanlar placed on the ending touches to push NU nearer to annexing one other crown after ruling the primary two editions of the collegiate preseason championship.
Belen exploded for 26 factors anchored by 24 kills and two kill blocks for NU, which may declare the title in Sport 2 on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
READ: Unbeaten groups NU, FEU prepare Tremendous League title conflict
Arah Panique added 15 factors, Pagilinan chipped in 14 markers whereas Escanlar added 13 factors together with the game-winning offspeed hit for the reigning UAAP champion.
“I’m very completely happy na regardless of wala si Ate Sheena (Toring, Ate Aly (Solomon) and Vange and different teammates ko na di nakapaglaro, might mga rookies and mga teammates ko na talagang nag-step up na tinulungan yung workforce para manalo at the moment,” Belen mentioned.
FEU carried the momentum of their dominating fourth set to take a 7-5 lead within the fifth body however Belen and Pangilnan sparked a 4-0 counterattack to push NU in entrance.
The Girl Tamaraws knotted the depend at 12 earlier than Mata scored two straight factors because the Girl Bulldogs reached match level. FEU saved a match level when Belen despatched her pipe assault straight to the online however Escanlar cleaned it up with a mushy contact within the subsequent play.
Jean Asis had 23 factors to tempo the Girl Tamaraws. Chenie Tagaod had 19 factors, whereas Gerzel Petallo and Jazzlyn Ellarina posted 11 and 10 factors, respectively, for FEU.
READ: UAAP finalists NU, UST off to contrasting begins in Tremendous League
In the meantime, School of Saint Benilde fought again from a set all the way down to frustrate Letran, 21-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17, and declare Sport 1 of their best-of-three battle for bronze sequence.
The Girl Blazers shook off a rusty begin earlier than discovering their groove to reassert their mastery over the identical rival they defeated within the group stage.
CSB tries to shut out the sequence with one other win over the NCAA Season 99 shedding finalist on Tuesday.
Reverse spiker Clydel Catarig scattered 22 factors on an environment friendly 22-of-52 spiking clip to steer the Girl Blazers, who took benefit of the Girl Knights’ 27 errors to bounce again from a painful straight-sets loss to Far Jap College within the knockout semifinal on Sunday.
Wewe Estoque added 15 factors off 9 kills, three kill blocks, and three aces whereas Rhea Densing added 12 markers with 11 coming for spikes for CSB.
Smelling blood after a dominant third body, CSB raced to an early lead within the fourth body that ballooned to 11 after Jessa Dorog pounded a kill for match level, 24-13.
Again-to-back CSB errors adopted by consecutive hits by Gia Maquilang saved Letran within the sport earlier than Dorog halted the Girl Knights’ run with a ending crosscourt hit.
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Maquilang completed with 19 factors to steer the Girl Knights. Judiel Nitura had 12 markers whereas Lea Tapang scored eight in a shedding effort for Letran.
