Manila, Philippines
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Volleyball
It’s win or go home for the last eight teams vying for the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 title on Wednesday at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
Action in the knockout quarterfinal begins at 10 a.m.
The repeat-seeking National University Nazareth School stakes its unbeaten record and the crown on the line against a determined St. John’s Institute side to close the four pairings scheduled at Court 1.
The Lady Bullpups emerged unscathed in the group stage following a four-game sweep of Pool A, staying on course to become the first-ever back-to-back champions in the country’s biggest grassroots volleyball league. The event is backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner, and R and B Milk Tea.
NUNS marches into the match brimming with confidence and a stacked arsenal bannered by Raine Alonzo, Bella Cruz and Alas Pilipinas Girls member Xyz Rayco.
SJI, which finished second in Pool C, will bank on high-scoring winger Caera Celis and Kristel Mirasol to pull off a major upset.
On the other hand, last year’s runner-up Bacolod Tay Tung, also undefeated in four games, takes on Season 2 champion Adamson University in an exciting rematch of the 2024 title showdown also at Court 1.
University of Santo Tomas, which swept Pool D in the group stage, battles King’s Montessori School while unbeaten Far Eastern University-Diliman squares off against Immaculada Conception College at Court 2.
Meanwhile, reigning Division 2 champion Domuschola International School takes on the challenge of the still-perfect University of Batangas High School in their quarterfinal meeting in the tournament backed by Smart Sports, PusoP.com, Solar Sports Free TV, Mikasa, Asics, Eurotel, Team Rebel Sports, and Rigour Technology as technical partners.
UST-B and Bacolod Tay Tung-B open the hostilities at Court 1.
Undefeated NUNS-B dukes it out against host squad La Sale Green Hills while Corpus Christi School collides with St. Jude Parish School at Court 2.
Quarterfinal matches will be played in a best-of-three sets format. The semifinal and final are best-of-five sets, winner-take-all matches.
SGVIL games are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.
Defending champion National University Nazareth School survived a serious scare from feisty St. John’s Institute, 20-25, 32-30, 15-12, to book a Final Four ticket in the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 on Wednesday at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
Xyz Rayco’s clutch plays rescued the Lady Bullpups in the tightly contested second set before NUNS banked on a decisive run in the third frame to complete a thrilling escape and remain on the hunt for a repeat crown.
The reigning UAAP champion unleashed six straight points to build a 9-5 lead in the third set after trailing by two points. Caera Celis willed SJI back and closed the gap, 13-11, before Raine Alonzo put NUNS at match point.
Celis saved a point for SJI but Jhaynna Bulandres sealed the one-hour, 31-minute win for the Lady Bullpups with a booming kill.
“Sobang hirap nilang kalaban kasi marunong din sila pero yung mindset namin is to stay focused sa court and teamwork palagi,” said Rayco, who had 12 points on 11 kills and an ace.
Bulandres had 12 points while Alonzo added nine markers for NUNS, which will battle University of Santo Tomas on Thursday in the knockout semifinal of the country’s biggest grassroots volleyball league backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner, and R and B Milk Tea.
Rayco accounted for three of the Lady Bullpups five match points saved in the extended second set. NUNS got its second set point advantage, 30-29, before Kristel Mirasol knotted the game at 30 on a kill. Alonzo scored off an attack and SJI surrendered the frame with a net fault infraction, sending the match into a decider.
Celis had 19 points on 16 kills, two kill blocks and an ace to pace SJI.
On the other hand, the Junior Golden Tigresses swept King’s Montessori School, 25-19, 25-21, to enter the semis.
Last year’s runner-up Bacolod Tay Tung advanced to the Final Four at the expense of 2024 champion Adamson University, 25-21, 25-21.
Rhose Almendralejo led the Thunderbolts’ charge with 16 points on 11 kills and five aces.
Bacolod Tay Tung will square off with Far Eastern University-Diliman, which eliminated Immaculada Conception College, 25-11, 25-17, in the next round.
Meanwhile, a new Division 2 champion will be crowned after undefeated University of Batangas dethroned Domuschola International School, 25-19, 25-16, to book a spot in the semifinal of the tournament backed by Smart Sports, PusoP.com, Solar Sports Free TV, Mikasa, Asics, Eurotel, Team Rebel Sports, and Rigour Technology as technical partners.
The Junior Lady Brahmans will take on unbeaten Corpus Christi School, which defeated St. Jude Parish School, 25-19, 25-16, in the Final Four.
Also unscathed in six starts, NUNS-B swept host La Salle Green Hills, 25-19, 25-17, to set up a semis collision course against an inspired Bacolod Tay Tung-B side.
The Thunderbolts scored a huge upset over the erstwhile perfect UST-B in a hard-earned 25-16, 28-26, decision.
SGVIL games are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.
National University Nazareth School-B overcame a hard-fighting University of Batangas High School in the winner-take-all championship match to reign supreme in the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 2 on Friday at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
The Lady Bullpups displayed nerves of steel in staving off the feisty Junior Lady Brahmans, 33-31, 25-17, 25-23, for their breakthrough crown.
Keera Talabut scored 14 points on 13 kills and an ace to lead NUNS-B to a perfect 8-0 sweep of the competition, backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner, and R and B Milk Tea.
“Naging calm and composed lang kami kasi yun ang uunahin namin sa lahat. Inalis namin yung pressure and outside noise. Pinusuan po namin yung (first) set na yun ang pinaghirapan namin yun kaya naging dominant na kami sa mga sumunod na sets,” Talabut said.
Ellaine Tayag posted 11 of her 12 markers from kills while Jheiza Giducos finished with 12 points, including the championship-winning kill block, for the Lady Bullpups.
Meanwhile, last year’s Division 1 champion NUNS salvaged some measure of pride with a 25-18, 25-21, 25-18, sweep of Far Eastern University-Diliman for a bronze medal finish in the the tournament backed by Smart Sports, PusoP.com, Solar Sports Free TV, Mikasa, Asics, Eurotel, Team Rebel Sports, and Rigour Technology as technical partners.
On the other hand, Bacolod Tay Tung took bronze in Division 2 after beating Corpus Christi School, 25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20.
In the Division 2 classification round, St. Jude Parish School defeated University of Santo Tomas-B, 25-15, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22, for a fifth place finish while inaugural champion Domuschola International School landed in seventh after topping host La Salle Green Hills, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20.
King’s Montessori Immaculada Concepcion College, 25-20, 25-7, 25-13, for seventh place in Division 1.
SGVIL games are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.
The University of Santo Tomas displayed its strong heart and stronger determination in outworking Bacolod Tay Tung in the winner-take-all final, 16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 28-26, 15-10, to conquer the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 on Friday at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
Banking on sweet-hitting wingers Nicole Pelaez and Most Valuable Player Kim Rubin, the Junior Golden Tigresses completed a seven-game sweep of the competition backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner, and R and B Milk Tea.
In a battle of nerves in the fifth set, the Thunderbolts blinked first as the focused UST side unleashed a decisive 8-2 run that turned a 5-5 deadlock into a comfortable 13-7 advantage.
Rhose Almedralejo tried to will Bacolod Tay Tung back to stop the Thunderbolts’ bleeding. The Junior Tigresses reached match point after Almendralejo sent her serve short, 14-8.
Bacolod Tay Tung saved two match points before Nicole Mendoza shut the door on Jhaennine Mayang for the championship-clinching kill block.
Pelaez fired 24 points on 20 kills and four kill blocks while Rubin scored 22 of her 23 points on kills for UST, which reached the finals for the first time in four years after dethroning National University Nazareth School in a five-set thriller in the Final Four.
“Masasabi ko lang tyinaga talaga ng mga bata. Sabi ko nga sa kanila lalo na sina Rubin kasi senior na sila, sabi ko gumawa kayo ng history simula semis kasi ito na ang huling Shakey’s (GVIL) nyo. Sabi nga nila, ‘Coach, ngayon lang kami pumasok.’ So trabahuhin lang natin. Tyagain lang natin. Kulang kami ng players; sa totoo lang, nine players lang kami. Tyinaga lang namin. Unti-unti ginawan namin ng solusyon,” UST coach Rochette Villegas said.
Mendoza and Eliz Menchavez added 10 markers each for the Junior Tigresses.
The Thunderbolts ended as runner-up for the third straight time despite the 26-point effort of Almendralejo. Mayang added 17 points while Faith Banguia had 12 in a losing effort.
Almendralejo was named Best Outside Hitter, Jhayna Bulandres of NUNS got the Best Opposite Spiker award while Medoza took the Best Middle Blocker recognition. Bacolod Tay Tung’s Luchi Viviero was Best Libero while UST’s Andreaj Tan Chun Bing bagged Best Setter.
GVIL games are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.