UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas recovered from a slow start before flexing its depth and firepower to overpower College of Saint Benilde, 22-25, 25-8, 25-12, 25-22, and claim its first-ever 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals championship in the winner-take-all finale on Sunday night at the Playtime FilOil Arena.
After dropping the opening set, the Golden Tigresses responded with a dominant second-set performance and never looked back, completing a perfect 7-0 sweep.
Veterans Regina Jurado and tournament Most Valuable Player Angge Poyos spearheaded UST’s breakthrough title run after the España-based squad settled for third place in the tournament’s inaugural staging three years ago.
Jurado poured in 21 points built on 18 attacks and two aces, while Poyos delivered 20 points from 16 kills, two aces and two blocks as the Golden Tigresses imposed their will at the net with 14 kill blocks.
UST faced one last challenge in the fourth set as the Lady Blazers stayed within striking distance. An attack error by Kim Rubin trimmed the Tigresses’ lead to 22-20, but UST answered with a decisive 3-1 finishing run to seal the victory in one hour and 55 minutes.
“I told them to forget what happened in the first set. I know how they play, and we know what they’re capable of as long as they stay focused on the work we’ve put in. We made a few adjustments to the team, and it’s good to see that they’re already adapting to the system. This is a good start,” said UST head coach Shaq Delos Santos.
“We’re very happy because we know our preparation is still far from complete. We still have a lot to work on. It’s a good sign that we were able to win a championship this early. We’ll use this as motivation to work even harder heading into the UAAP,” he added.
Rookie Kim Rubin chipped in 12 points, while Blessing Unekwe anchored UST’s defense with seven kill blocks to finish with 10 markers.
The Golden Tigresses swept the five-game elimination round, including a four-set win over the Lady Blazers, before eliminating Letran in the Final Four.
Saint Benilde capitalized on UST’s sluggish start to take the opening set but failed to sustain its momentum as the Tigresses took control for the rest of the match.
Camila Bartolome led the Lady Blazers with 16 points, while Mary Grace Borromeo added 12 in the losing effort.
