University of the East (UE) opened its bid in the 2024 V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge in impressive fashion, crushing reigning NCAA champion De La Salle-College of St. Benilde (CSB) in straight sets, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21, at the Paco Arena in Manila Wednesday night.
The Lady Warriors staged multiple comebacks to complete their domination of the Lady Blazers in a battle between Jerry Yee-coached squads.
“They (Lady Blazers) have been having the advantage over us the past couple of weeks, so I’m very happy that the girls pulled through even coming from behind,” said UE assistant coach Obet Vital.
Down by as many as five points midway through the final set, 12-17, UE rattled off a pivotal 9-1 run to gain momentum and sweep CSB. An unsuccessful floor touch challenge by the Lady Blazers, coupled with a crosscourt hit from Khy Cepada, propelled the Lady Warriors to victory in an inspiring start to their V-League campaign.
“The girls really played with heart, they were mentally tough, had a good attitude, and they kept calm throughout the three sets,” added Vital.
UE faced an early six-point deficit in the second set, 2-8, but fought back to tie the count at 16 with a quick hit by Cepada. Both teams traded hits late in the set, but the Lady Warriors secured a two-point win to gain a crucial two-set-to-nil advantage.
It was a similar story in the first set, with UE rallying from a 14-17 deficit to seal the victory. A Riza Nogales crosscourt hit and a through-the-block attack by Cepada capped the comeback, as the Lady Warriors capitalized on 25 unforced errors by their rivals to secure the one-hour, 30-minute victory.
Cepada led UE with 20 points, all from attacks, while Kayce Balingit and Jenalyn Umayam contributed 12 and 10 markers, respectively.
Jelai Gajero also returned to the court for the first time since tearing her ACL in the same tournament seven months ago. The California Academy standout focused on regaining her floor defense for the game.
Holdovers Corrine Apostol and Rhea Densing paced CSB with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
UE will face UAAP Season 86 silver medalist University of Santo Tomas on Sunday, August 4, while St. Benilde will aim to bounce back against Far Eastern University on the same date.
