It was short but sweet for the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses.

Marching into their first tournament following the departure of key senior players and in the absence of their injured main setter, the Golden Tigresses found a way to bring out their fierce growl and translate it into a breakthrough championship in the 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals.

UST came out firing on all cylinders and captured the throne in a sweeping fashion to punctuate the Espana-based squad’s dominance in the international-flavored weeklong tournament.

The Tigresses rolled past every obstacle for an impressive perfect seven-game romp capped by a come-from-behind, 22-25, 25-8, 25-12, 25-22, winner-take-all championship win over College of Saint Benilde on Sunday at the FilOil Arena in San Juan.

“Of course we are all happy for winning the championship,” said UST head coach Shaq Delos Santos, whose squad dropped only a total of two sets the whole competition.

“We didn’t have enough to prepare but the response of the players and the coaches adjusted to our system. That was truly important,” added the architect of the Tigresses’ last University Athletic Association of the Philippines championship 16 years ago.

Skipper Regina Jurado and Most Valuable Player Angge Poyos stepped up not only on offense but also in their roles as leaders of a Tigresses side filled with young guns.

The duo delivered the much-needed points in the title showdown with Jurado pumping in 21 points and Poyos scoring 20 as UST surpassed its third-place finish in 2023 by capturing the elusive crown in the competition.

Rookie Kim Rubin, who helped UST’s high school team rule the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League Rising Stars Cup and was named Most Valuable Player last May, added 12 points while middle blocker Blessing Unekwe scored seven of her 10 points on kill blocks, highlighting the Tigresses’ collective team effort.

“It wasn’t hard to guide the young players because they followed the system of our coach,” said Poyos, who took over as one of UST’s leaders after the graduation of former team captain and top libero Detdet Pepito.

Setter Arlene Waje, meanwhile, embraced the playmaking position after Cassie Carballo was forced to sit out the National Invitationals due to a leg injury.

Waje effectively filled the big shoes left by Carballo by dishing out 22 excellent sets in the finale to help the Tigresses pour 56 kills.

“Feels great winning a championship. I almost forgot how it felt,” Delos Santos said.

Having tasted the sweetness of winning a championship, UST is looking forward to completing a season title sweep when it marches back into action for the prestigious Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup in September.

The Tigresses eye redemption after a runner-up finish last year behind four-time champion National University.

“Great help and huge impact and this would inspire us to work harder for the next tournament,” said Delos Santos.