BATANGAS CITY — College of Saint Benilde (CSB) outlasted Letran College in a marathon five-setter, 27-29, 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 15-8, to move on the brink of ruling the 2025 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals Batangas Leg Saturday at the University of Batangas Millennium Gym.

The Lady Blazers responded to a sharp tongue-lashing from head coach Jerry Yee following a fourth-set meltdown with a strong fifth set showing to remain unscathed after two outings.

Shahanna Lleses took over at crunch time, scoring four of her team-high 19 points in the fifth frame for the four-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champions.

Zam Nolasco added 16 points while Clydel Catarig added 13 for the Lady Blazers, who once again stamped their class over the same squad it defeated in the last two NCAA finals.

Saint Benilde unleashed a telling 7-1 run to turn a tight 4-4 start of the fifth set into an 11-5 Lady Blazers advantage, punctuated by a Lleses kill. Saint Benilde kept its distance the rest of the way to emerge on top of the two-hour, 27-minute encounter.

“Heading into the fifth set we were telling each other to finish with a win so that we could have a good rest for our last game,” Catarig said.