Arellano University survived a five-set battle with De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde on Saturday. The Lady Chiefs won 19-25, 25-17, 34-32, 16-25, 15-7 at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

The result kept Arellano perfect at 3-0 in the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge. It also dropped Benilde to 1-2 in the standings.

Arellano Digs Deep to Stay Unbeaten

Arellano took the second set but Benilde clawed back. The Lady Blazers forced a marathon third set that lasted 39 minutes. They carried that momentum into a fourth-set win to force a decider.

Head coach Obet Javier said his team needed a reset after that letdown. “Kung gusto niyo manalo, ipagtrabaho niyo ‘yon kasi masasayang,” he told his players. The message clearly landed.

Arellano built an 11-7 lead in the final set and never let go. The Lady Chiefs closed it out with a 4-0 run, capped by Crisanta Servidad’s corner shot.

Samantha Tiratira led all scorers with 13 points. Servidad and Catherine Chu each added 12. Adamson can still tie Arellano atop the standings, pending its match against Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

Benilde Looks to Regroup Against Adamson

Benilde’s near-upset fell just short despite a strong offensive push. Mary Borromeo and Camila Bartolome each scored 18 points, while Fionna Innocentes added 16 markers.

The Lady Blazers face Adamson next, on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 5:00 p.m., still at Gameville Central Park. They’ll look to bounce back after pushing Arellano to the limit.

Arellano will chase its fourth straight win against University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Saturday, Sept. 5. The Lady Chiefs hope to carry their momentum into that game.