The University of Santo Tomas completed a perfect title run in the 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals.
UST started flat, but new captain Reg Jurado and tournament MVP Angge Poyos caught fire to beat College of Saint Benilde, 22-25, 25-8, 25-12, 25-22, in the winner-take-all championship on Sunday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Jurado unleashed 21 points on 18 kills, two aces, and a block, while Poyos had 20 from 16 attacks, two aces, and two blocks.
The Golden Tigresses won their breakthrough crown after a third-place finish in the inaugural edition of the National Invitationals three years ago.
‘I told them to forget about what happened in the first set. I know what this team is capable of. We know what they can do, so I just reminded them to stay focused on what we’ve been working on. We made a few adjustments, and it’s good to see the team gradually adapting to the system. This is a good start,’ UST head coach Shaq Delos Santos said in Filipino.
‘I’m really happy because we know we’re still far from where we want to be. We still have a lot of work to do, but winning the championship this early is a good sign. We’ll use this as motivation to work even harder heading into the UAAP,’ he added.
Rookie Kim Rubin was instrumental with 12 points, while Blessing Unekwe provided seven of UST’s 14 kill blocks to finish with 10 points.
The Tigresses swept the five-game elimination round before knocking out Letran in the Final Four of the tournament, which featured a high school division also ruled by UST.
Camila Bartolome had 16 points for St. Benilde, while Mary Grace Borromeo added 12.
Meanwhile, Letran salvaged a podium finish after beating Australian guest team Southern Storm Melbourne, 25-21, 18-25, 25-17, 25-23.
Judiel Nitura delivered 19 points for the NCAA champion. Reeza Abayon had 12 points, while Tournament Best Setter Hizki Flores tallied 11 excellent sets.
Cleo Anastasias fired 13 points on 10 spikes and three kill blocks while Steph Baker scored 12 of her 13 markers on attacks for the Australians, who ended their campaign with four straight losses.run Colleges’ Althea Botor won the Best Outside Hitter, Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Club’s Le Thi Diem Phuong earned the Best Opposite Spiker, CSB’s Fiona Inocentes was named Best Middle Blocker, while Southern Storm’s Milla Smith got the Best Libero.