Daily Tribune
VICTORIA Esceber and the UST Golden Tigresses are expected to work hard when they battle the Saint Benilde Lady Blazers in the final of the 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals on Sunday.
Photograph courtesy of SSL
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Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
2 p.m. — Letran vs Southern Storm
4 p.m. — UST vs Saint Banilde
University of Santo Tomas (UST) and College of Saint Benilde battle for supremacy in an exciting winner-take-all 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals title showdown on Sunday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
After a grueling race to the biggest stage, the unbeaten Golden Tigresses and the equally formidable Lady Blazers meet one last time for all the marbles at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, Letran and Australian guest team Southern Storm Melbourne will be squaring off in the 2 p.m. battle for third to salvage a podium finish.
UST has its sights trained on completing an amazing sweep of the weeklong competition.
The Tigresses booted out Letran, 25-10, 25-19, 25-12, in the knockout semifinals last Friday for their sixth straight win in as many starts and a breakthrough championship appearance.
UST’s highest result in the previous editions of the tournament was a third-place finish in 2023.
Veterans Regina Jurado, Angge Poyos, Marga Altea and Avril Bron alongside young guns Kim Rubin and Ashley Dianne Knop banner the Shaq delos Santos-mentored Tigresses, who are looking for a fitting follow-up to their high school counterpart’s Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League Rising Stars Cup and Juniors National Invitationals title conquests.
“We simply wanted to keep UST’s streak alive in the Shakey’s championship. And that could be our goal when we play in the finals,” Jurado said.
UST defeated Saint Benilde, 25-22, 25-15, 15-25, 25-12, in their elimination round meeting last Monday.
On the other hand, the Lady Blazers are clinging to the momentum they built after their lone setback to pull off a shocker over the mighty Tigresses.
Behind the steady performances of Mary Grace Borromeo, rookie Mhonniecka Soliven, Camila Bartolome and Fionna Inocentes, Saint Benilde racked up four straight wins capped by a dominating 25-19, 25-23, 25-11, Final Four victory over Southern Storm.
Saint Benilde, which handed UST its only set loss so far in the competition, seeks to settle unfinished business following a runner-up finish in the tournament’s Luzon leg last year.
