UE, Letran secure V-League bronzes

University of the East (UE) and Letran College closed out their campaign on a high note as they secured the bronze medals in the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The Lady Warriors were impressive, sweeping Arellano University, 25-23, 25-22, 28-26, to secure the consolation prize in the women’s division while the Knights copped the bronze medal with a 25-19, 25-17, 25-18 win over College of Saint Benilde in the men’s side.

Janessa Buhay took charge for UE, erupting for 27 points on 25 attacks and two aces while also tallying 17 excellent receptions in the one-hour, 37-minute encounter.

“We are happy and deeply grateful to the V-League for giving us the opportunity to compete,” Lady Warriors assistant coach Jerome Guhit said. “As we always say, we’re here to gain the necessary experience because we have a lot of young players on this team.”

“This is huge for us because we lack experience. To walk away with a medal is a massive boost to their confidence.”

UE found itself in a 25-26 hole in the extended third set before Buhay delivered a cross-court attack to level the score at 26-all and put the Lady Warriors within striking distance of closing out the match.

Catherine Chu tried to restore Arellano’s lead, but her attack sailed long. Buhay then came through once again, firing a booming ace to seal the bronze medal for UE.

Van Bangayan provided solid support with 21 points on 19 attacks and two aces, while team captain and libero Angge Reyes anchored the defense with 27 excellent sets and 14 excellent receptions.

Meanwhile, the Knights came out firing and never looked back, turning the bronze-medal showdown into a one-sided affair and capping a remarkable turnaround for a team that finished second to last in last year’s tournament.

“Of course, for us at Letran, that's huge for the team's confidence. We know we lost in the semifinals, but that was against a top-tier squad. It just proves how strong of an opponent we went up against,” Letran head coach Jessie Lopez said.

“Although, of course, no one ever wants to lose. But at the very least, I’m proud of my players. I feel like our confidence will grow even higher if we can compete together in another league.”

Dave Lardizabal capped his stellar tournament with a 19-point performance built on 14 attacks and five blocks, while also contributing six excellent digs. Wayne Arano orchestrated Letran’s offense with 23 excellent sets.

Vince Himzon, Jasper Afgao, and Christer Ambrocio chipped in nine points apiece in the 65-minute victory, while John Santiagudo added seven markers.

Letran controlled every facet of the game, finishing with a 46-33 advantage in attacks, a 9-1 edge in blocks, and a 3-1 cushion in aces to complete a thoroughly dominant outing.

Reymark Betco was the lone bright spot for Benilde, scoring 13 points.

The Blazers settled for fourth place, but still improved on their sixth-place finish in last year's campaign.