Lady Knights buck slow start, sweep Lady Stags

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May 6, 2025 | 2:27pm

Games Wednesday

(Filoil EcoOil Arena)

8 a.m. - JRU vs EAC (M)

11 a.m. - JRU vs EACV (W)

2:30 p.m. - LPU vs San Beda (W)

5 p.m. - LPU vs San Beda (M)

MANILA, Philippines — For Letran to legitimately challenge for the NCAA Season 100 women’s volleyball title, it would need to play with nerves of steel on a consistent basis.

The Lady Knights showed some flashes of it against the San Sebastian Lady Stags Tuesday, and it was enough to pull off a 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 victory that kept the former unflappable at the helm at the Filoil EcoOil Arena.

Vanessa Sarie, a rookie prize find from Bicol, was at the heart of it all as she came through with a match-best 17 points, 15 of which came from spikes and the other two on service aces as the Lady Knights snared their sixth win in a row and 12th overall against two defeats.

It was also a triumph that kept Letran at No. 1 and on course of making a return trip to the Final Four, where it hopes to continue to advance to the finals for a shot at a first women’s crown since winning it all 27 years ago.

But it took the Lady Knights a slow start and nearly a disastrous finish to get this one.

Letran struggled early and trailed by as much as five points, the last at 13-8, before recovering their rhythm in time to snatch the opening set.

After seizing the second frame to go 2-0 set up, the Lady Knights took a 19-12 edge and looked headed to cruising to another win.

But Roger Gorayeb’s charges didn’t fade into the night and fought valiantly back and chipping in at the deficit and even inching just one point behind several times, the last at 23-24.

It proved to be SSC’s last as Letran held its ground by sealing it via a Sarie kill.

SSC-R dropped to 7-7.