UST repulses Ateneo in Unity Cup
REGG Jurado (left) and Kim Rubin of University of Santo Tomas refuse to give up a point in their 25-16, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 victory over Ateneo de Manila on Sunday in the Round of 8 Pool F action of the SSL Unity Cup in Imus, Cavite.
Photograph courtesy of SSL
University of Santo Tomas (UST) weathered a fourth-set scare from Ateneo de Manila University to eke out a 25-16, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21, victory in the Round of 8 Pool F opener of the 2026 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup Round of 8 on Sunday at the Imus Sports Complex.
The Golden Tigresses held off the Blue Eagles in the tight fourth frame after squandering a six-point lead to remain unbeaten in the league’s centerpiece competition.
UST controlled the first two sets, only to lose steam in the third before showing resolve late in the fourth to seal the two-hour, nine-minute win and inch closer to clinching a quarterfinals twice-to-beat advantage.
“In the third set, we were lacking in attack variation and our moves were being anticipated by our opponents. What we did in the fourth set was work harder and just exercised patience when they blocked our shots,” said Tigresses winger Marga Altea, who scored 15 points on 11 kills and four kill blocks.
Ashlee Knop finished with 12 points while Angge Poyos and Regina Jurado added 11 points each for UST, which extended its winning streak to four after sweeping the first round.
After surrendering the third set, the Tigresses raced to an 18-12 lead in the fourth. However, Ateneo refused to go down without a fight and countered with an 8-2 run to tie it at 20.
But the Blue Eagles shot themselves in the foot after Dona de Leon and Alexia Montoro committed back-to-back errors, giving UST a two-point cushion. Jihan Chuatico saved a point for Ateneo but UST scored three straight points, capped by a Poyos ace to close the match.
De Leon and Bea Buena finished with 12 points each while Chuatico had nine points for the Blue Eagles.
Meanwhile, University of the Philippines (UP) recovered from an opening set hiccup to beat Letran, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-16, in Pool F.
The Fighting Maroons carried the momentum of their three-game first-round sweep to draw closer to clinching a quarters incentive in the competition.
Jelai Gajero pumped in 17 points on 15 kills and two kill blocks to lead UP.