National University made it to the Finals of the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge after not giving Colegio de San Juan de Letran a chance in their rubber match in the semifinals on Sunday, carving out a masterful 25-14, 25-23, 25-20 victory at FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Bulldogs made sure there would be no repeat of their heartbreaking 22-25, 25-23, 29-27, 13-25, 20-18 loss in Game 2, coming out with complete focus as NU returned to the championship round for the first time since its title run in 2022.
‘The players took it as a challenge,’ multititled coach Dante Alinsunurin said in Filipino, referring to the loss that necessitated this rubber match. ‘We needed adjustments [from Game 2] and were able to come up with them for this game.’
‘That was the key for us, and the players were really determined,’ Alinsunurin continued. ‘It was in their mindset that they will win this game.’
Rookie RK Medino led NU with 17 points, all coming from attacks, as he shouldered the scoring load in the absence of top stars Buds Buddin, Leo Ordiales and Peng Taguibolos, who had just wrapped up their campaign with Alas Pilipinas in the 20th Asian Games in Japan.
Jade Disquitado added 13 points and five excellent receptions, while Luke Macatangay chipped in 10 points. Choi Diao and Obed Mukaba also contributed seven and six points, respectively.
Greg Ancheta orchestrated NU’s offense with 22 excellent sets, while also scoring three points as the Bulldogs needed just 73 minutes to dispatch the hard-fighting Knights.
NU dominated across all scoring categories, finishing with a 41-35 edge in attacks, a 12-7 advantage in blocks and a 3-2 lead in aces. The Bulldogs also capitalized on Letran’s 19 errors while limiting their own miscues to just 13.
The Finals will pit NU against fellow UAAP squad Far Eastern University, renewing a familiar rivalry between the two schools after they faced off in the last two UAAP Finals. Game 1 is set for Friday.
Meanwhile, Dave Lardizabal paced Letran with 16 points on 13 attacks and three blocks, while Jasper Afgao and Vince Himzon added 10 and nine points, respectively, in the defeat.
The Knights will take on another NCAA team in College of Saint Benilde in the battle for third place, also on Friday.