UST, SJI-Bacolod clinch semifinal spots

Unbeaten University of Santo Tomas (UST) swept feisty One La Salle, 25-17, 25-22, to secure a semifinal berth in the 2026 Shakey’s Juniors National Invitationals on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

The Junior Tigresses weathered a furious second-set fightback by One La Salle to notch their fourth win in as many outings and advance to the next round of the tournament backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner and R and B Milk Tea.

Nicole Pelaez smashed 10 of her game-high 12 points on attacks to lead the reigning Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 champion.

UST erected a commanding 20-13 lead in the second frame but Aislyn Alemana and Alyana Valdez anchored One La Salle’s 9-2 rally to cut the Junior Tigresses’ advantage to just one, 23-22.

Antonella Jayobo, however, killed her team’s momentum with a costly service error before Anneli Manzanillo sealed the 55-minute match with an ace.

“It was very challenging because we really struggled in the second set, especially since we committed a lot of errors. But fortunately, we were able to adjust,” said Pelaez, who added two kill blocks with three digs.

Manzanillo added eight points while Erin Sotto and Jyrah Romias chipped in five markers each for the Junior Tigresses, who are playing also-ran Pusong Azul as of press time.

One La Salle saw its three-game winning streak snapped to slip to a 3-2 win-loss record. Alemana had seven points and Valdez added five.

Meanwhile, St. John’s Institute-Bacolod defeated Arellano University High School, 25-22, 25-17, to punch a Final Four ticket.

Caera Celis blasted 12 points on nine kills, two aces and a kill block to power the Falcons to a 4-0 slate. Edz Escultura and Kristel Mirasol added nine and eight points, respectively, for the Bacolod-based squad.

The Lady Braves had their three-game winning run halted for a tie with One La Salle.

Nina Cahanap finished with eight points for Arellano.

UST and SJI-Bacolod clash on Thursday in the 1 p.m. curtain-raiser of a four-game playdate of the weeklong competition supported by Jetour, Baic, Eurotel, Victory Liner Rent & Go, F2 Logistics, Summit Natural Drinking Water, PusoP.com and Smart Sports.

The top four teams after the single-round eliminations will square off in the knockout semis. The final and bronze medal matches are also winner-take-all affairs.