University of Santo Tomas (UST) displayed championship poise and nerves of steel to outlast St. John’s Institute-Bacolod, 25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 18-25, 19-17 in a thrilling winner-take-all final for a perfect 2026 Shakey’s Juniors National Invitationals conquest Saturday at the Playtime FilOil Arena in San Juan.

The Junior Tigresses flirted with disaster after squandering a 2-0 match lead. Still, they found the resolve to come back from a five-point deficit in the deciding frame before pulling off an incredible escape.

Most Valuable Player Nicole Pelaez unloaded 27 points on 24 kills, two kill blocks and an ace as UST finished the tournament backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner and R and B Milk Tea unbeaten in eight games.

Jyrah Romias added 17 points, Anneli Manzanillo scored 14 and Eliz Menchavez submitted 13 markers for the Junior Tigresses, who completed a season sweep after their breakthrough 2026 Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League Rising Stars Cup Division 1 crown 1ast May.

UST rallied from a 12-7 deficit and racked five straight points to knot the fifth set. The Falcons moved at match point after a Pelaez service error but Sophie Pamplona sent her serve wide for the deuce.

Romias then gave the Junior Tigresses the match point advantage in a down the line kill. Falcons main hitter Caera Celis tied it at 15.

SJI-Bacolod would save two more championship points before Pelaez hammered a kill followed by a costly attack error by Kristel Mirasol that punctuated the nearly three-hour finale.

“The turning point came when the fifth set reached 12-8. Our players’ body language changed. But again, the fifth set is always decided by the team that wants it more,” UST head coach Yani Fernandez said.

The Falcons rallied from 20-22 down in the third set as Celis scored the last three points of her team’s 4-0 counterattack to take the set point advantage. Romias stopped UST’s bleeding but the Espana-based squad committed a costly net touch infraction that forced a fourth frame.

With momentum on its side, SJI-Bacolod played with high confidence. Caera Celis and Edz Escultura led the way in the fourth set as the Falcons pulled away midway into the frame on their way to forcing a decider.

Celis scored 26 of her 28 points on kills, Escultura had 14 points and Mirasol finished with 13 markers for the Falcons.

The Junior Tigresses had some anxious moments in the second set after reaching set point, 24-19. The Falcons countered with a solid run in the tail end of the frame, scoring four straight points aided by UST’s two miscues.

Ciarra Calfoforo perfectly timed her block to shut the door on Marteena Ferrer’s attack and halt SJI-Bacolod’s uprising for a 2-0 match lead.

Meanwhile, Arellano University High School turned to Cassandra Paralejas’ red-hot hitting to essay a 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-19, victory over One La Salle in the battle for bronze.

Paralejas smashed 21 of her 22 points on kills while Arah Suizo and Ysabelle Borja added 12 and 10 markers, respectively, as the Lady Braves salvaged a podium finish at the expense of their elims tormentor.

Arellano got its rhythm going in the second set after a flat start on its way to the two-hour triumph in the competition supported by Jetour, Baic, Eurotel, Victory Liner Rent & Go, F2 Logistics, Summit Natural Drinking Water, PusoP.com and Smart Sports.

Antonella Jayobo fired 16 points, Aislinn Alemana added 15 markers while Kylie Celada scored 12 for One La Salle, which the Lady Braves 36 free points off its errors.