Letran College pulled off a stunning 29-31, 26-24, 17-25, 25-18, 15-11 win over heavily favored National University (NU) to seize a share of the lead in the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge on Saturday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

The Knights dragged the Bulldogs into a tie atop the leaderboard with identical 2–1 win-loss records, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) side needed a solid fourth set and a strong finish to complete the comeback.

In the first game, College of Saint Benilde opened its campaign with a hard-fought win over rival Mapua University, 19–25, 25–22, 25–21, 25–21.

The Blazers needed to shake off a slow start against the Cardinals before finding their rhythm, with opposite hitter Reymark Betco also coming alive late in the match on both ends of the floor.

With Mapua threatening to mount a comeback, Betco delivered the finishing blows to keep the Cardinals at bay, finishing with 22 points, including 18 from attacks. His four blocks proved crucial, while he also chipped in three digs.

Rocky Motol provided the early spark for the Blazers, scoring most of his 14 points in the first two sets, while team captain Chris Villanueva anchored the offense with 16 excellent sets.

"It's really a huge deal for us that we beat two UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) schools. And NU, that's a tough opponent. You could say this is a real morale booster for us, for the kids, especially because we lost our first game to Arellano," Letran head coach Jessie Lopez said after the Knights pulled off a 26–24, 22–25, 25–16, 25–23 win over University of Santo Tomas last Sunday.

No less than former NU-Nazareth School standout Dave Lardizabal steered Letran to the victory.

The opposite hitter drilled back-to-back kills to restore his side's cushion at 13–11 before a Vince Himzon block put the Knights at match point. Leo Ordiales attempted to cut into the lead, but his hit went straight into the net as Letran completed the turnaround.

Lardizabal finished with 22 points on 18 kills and four blocks, while Paolo Lopez chipped in 14 markers and seven digs.

Former captains Himzon and Wayne Araño also contributed to the hard-earned victory with 14 points and 25 excellent sets, respectively.

Letran, which has now won back-to-back matches, will go for a third straight victory when it faces De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde next Saturday, August 29, at 3 p.m.

Buds Buddin and Leo Ordiales remained steady for the Bulldogs with 18 markers apiece, but NU's aggressiveness also led to 41 errors.

Jade Disquitado, meanwhile, had to sit out the deciding set after scoring 14 points through the first four frames.