Defending champion National University and Santo Tomas secured Final Four spots after hurdling their respective foes in the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup quarterfinals yesterday at the San Andres Gym in Manila.
Celine Marsh stepped up for the four-peat-seeking and twice-to-beat Lady Bulldogs as they turned back gritty San Beda University, 26-24, 25-27, 25-18, 25-16.
The sophomore open spiker took over the scoring role in the absence of Sam Cantada and Denesse Daylisan, who are currently playing for the national team in the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, finishing with a game-high 23 points.
Meanwhile, the Tigresses cruised past hapless Ateneo, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21, to book a fourth straight semis appearance in the competition, supported by Asics, Mikasa, Smart Sports, Summit, Team Rebel Sports, Belo Deo, Eurotel-Apo View Hotel, Batangas Country Club, Executive Optical, Baic Auto Philippines, SM Tickets and PusoP.com as technical partners.
Regina Jurado uncorked 13 points while Xyza Gula logged 11 markers for UST, which drew closer to a championship return since its runner-up finish in 2023.
Both NU and UST advanced to the semis armed with a twice-to-beat advantage by virtue of their No.1 seedings in their respective pools after the second round.
The Lady Bulldogs will next face the survivor between Far Eastern U and University of the Philippines.