Letran displayed the true heart of a champion to turn back Enderun Colleges, 21-25, 25-21, 25-14, 14-25, 15-4, and secure the last Final Four seat in the 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association champion gathered itself up after a fourth-set meltdown and unleashed its true form in the decider to advance to the next round of the competition.

Judiel Nitura and Reeza Abayon took care of business in the fifth set as the Lady Knights opened a huge lead on their way to closing the elimination round with a 2-3 win-loss record.

Letran will take on top-seeded University of Santo Tomas in the knockout semifinals on Friday.

College of Saint Benilde and Australian guest team Southern Storm Melbourne clash in the other Final Four showdown in the tournament.

Heady setter Hizki Flores provided stability for Letran, especially in the fifth set, with good setups that allowed the Lady Knights to drill crucial hits to pull away early.

“I just told them to just follow what the coach told us to do. We adjusted and we got the win,” said Flores, who tallied 16 excellent sets to help the Lady Knights pound 57 attack points.

Abayon showed the way for the Intramuros-based squad with 17 points on 15 kills and two aces while Nitura added 14 points.

Joralyn Panangin scored 14 of her 15 points on spikes, including the game-winning kill to punctuate the two-hour, 10-minute clash for survival

Nitura scored three of Letran’s 5-0 start in the fifth set. Abayon followed suit, scoring three more hits as the Lady Knights erected a 10-3 advantage.

Jasmine Salvani scored the Lady Titans’ fourth and last point of the match before Letran racked up five straight points. Abayon landed a service winner to push the Lady Knights to match point, followed by Panangin’s finisher.

Enderun closed the elims with a 1-4 mark.

Althea Botor uncorked a game-high 24 points on 18 kills, three kill blocks and three aces in a wasted effort for the Lady Titans, who threw away 28 points on errors.