Race for SSL twice-to-beat slots heats up

Games today:

(Imus Sports Complex)

11 a.m. — UP vs Letran

1 p.m. — Ateneo vs UST

3 p.m. — Saint Benilde vs NU

5 p.m. — Adamson vs FEU

A busy quadruple-header playdate kicks off the chase for the quarterfinals twice-to-beat advantage in the 2026 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup Round of 8 on Sunday at the Imus Sports Complex.

Unbeaten defending champion National University (NU) gets an early test in Pool E when it takes on a dangerous and equally formidable College of Saint Benilde at 3 p.m.

The Lady Bulldogs cruised in the elimination round, sweeping their four assignments without dropping a single set in their five-peat bid in the league’s centerpiece competition.

NU head coach Norman Miguel knows the Lady Blazers have the personnel to match up against his squad. However, he sees the game as a battle of roster depth and bench contribution given the tournament’s unique all-to-play format.

“Since this is an all-to-play format, having your other players stepping up on their game is of huge importance because not all the time our senior players will play their A-game, and if you have your second team playing competitively as well, that’s a big advantage,” Miguel said.

Saint Benilde, which won two of its three matches in the opening round, is one of the only two National Collegiate Athletic Association teams to advance in the playoffs of the competition.