Lady Blazers face tough task

College of Saint Benilde is in for a challenging title defense against a tough field including powerhouse National University (NU) when the 2024 V-League Collegiate Challenge opens shop on 28 July at Paco Arena in Manila.

The Lady Blazers are parading a relatively young squad following the departure of its veteran core to the Premier Volleyball League, leaving head coach Jerry Yee with just a handful of seasoned players for the tournament organized by the Sports Vision Management Group.

But Saint Benilde remains a formidable squad, bringing in the momentum of its perfect three-peat run in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Kicking off the Lady Blazers’ campaign is an early litmus test against the reigning University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Lady Bulldogs.

NU has been racking up titles as it reclaimed the UAAP crown at the expense of University of Santo Tomas (UST) before ruling the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals in a sweeping fashion.

However, the Lady Bulldogs under head coach Norman Miguel will miss the services of Bella Belen, Arah Panique, and Alyssa Solomon for some games due to their commitments to the national team.

Still, NU is considered a team to beat brimming with talent up to the last player on the bench.

Running until 4 October, the tournament will be played on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Opening games will be held at Paco Arena, with subsequent matches staged at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, the Rizal Memorial Coliseum and Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The women’s division will also feature UST, Far Eastern University, University of the East Lady Warriors, University of the Philippines, Letran College and Lyceum of the Philippines University.

In the men’s division, De La Salle University will try to extend its reign against tough competition including last edition’s runner-up UST.

Also in the fray are UAAP champion NU, NCAA winner University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, Ateneo de Manila University, Letran, Emilio Aguinaldo College and FEU.

Fans can catch all the action live via vleague.ph and the V-League’s official YouTube channel.