University of Perpetual Help System celebrates against College of St. Benilde in the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge, September 19, 2026 at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City. PVL Media
MANILA — University of Perpetual Help System DALTA pulled off a stunning sweep of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde to keep its semifinals hopes alive in the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge on Saturday.
The Lady Altas needed an hour and 17 minutes to complete the 25–19, 27–25, 25–21 victory at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
Jem Menor delivered timely kills in the third set, helping Perpetual move into a share of fourth place with the University of the East at 3–3 in the race for the semifinals.
"Ang sabi ko sa kanila is laban lang; and then yung improvement. Hindi lang dapat tayo naglalaro at nag-e-enjoy, dapat pinag-aaralan din natin yung movement nung kalaro natin. Medyo maganda naman siya, pero dahil marami pa ring errors, hindi pa rin ako masaya," said long-time head coach Sandy Rieta.
The Lady Altas recovered from their slow starts, with Menor leading the charge with 13 points, all coming from kills.
Cyrille Almeñiana also made an impact on both ends of the court, finishing with 14 points, 10 digs, and nine excellent receptions. Collette Gaa, meanwhile, provided steady play at the forefront with 20 excellent sets and two points.
Perpetual will face the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Lady Knights in its final assignment of the preliminaries next Saturday, September 26, at noon.
Cam Bartolome was the lone Benildean to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points, but it was not enough as the Lady Blazers slipped to 2–4.
Benilde will look to revive its fading semifinals hopes against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses the following day, September 27, at 10 a.m.