National University Nazareth School displayed nerves of steel in an incredible come-from-behind win over Bacolod Tay Tung, 27-25, 16-25, 21-25, 30-28, 15-13, in a thrilling finale to rule the 2025 Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 Saturday at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
Sam Cantada delivered the crucial hits in crunch time to power the Lady Bullpups to a breakthrough crown in 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.
Denied of a podium finish in the first two editions, NUNS banked on the reigning UAAP MVP Cantada in the fourth and fifth frames to add the SGVIL title to its collection after its UAAP and Palarong Pambansa conquests.
Cantada scored 21 points, four in the deciding frame, anchored on 15 kills, three kill blocks and three aces. Denesse Daylisan added 21 markers while Jenelyn Jacob and Harlyn Serneche had 14 and 12 points, respectively, for the Lady Bullpups, who asserted their mastery over their Palarong Pambansa gold medal match victim.
“Itong game na ito, ‘di talaga nag-giveup ang mga players. Nandoon ang eagerness and puso nila na makuha pa rin ang panalo kahit na down kami. ‘Yung character nila ipinakita nila ulit,” said NUNS head coach Karl Dimaculangan.
Cantada saved NUNS from the jaws of defeat in the extended fourth set and forced the decider with a kill.
The fifth frame turned into a battle of nerves with the Thunderbolts flinching first after Rhose Almendralejo sent her service long before teammate Ana Hermosura surrendered the match with an overcooked kill.
Almendralejo saw her league-record 35 points go down the drain with Bacolod Tay Tung ending as runner-up for the second straight year. Hermosura had 20 points, Camila Bartolome scored 12 and Alexa Bertolano added 11 for the Thunderbolts, who wasted a championship point advantage, 25-24, in the fourth frame.
Meanwhile, Domuschola International School overpowered Everest International Academy, 25-11, 26-24, 25-17, to become the first-ever Division 2 champion in the league backed by Mikasa, Asics, Team Rebel Sports, Belo Deo and Smart.
Naihma Banal hammered 15 attacks, scored all three of the Badgers’ kill blocks and had added one ace for 19 points, Isabella Asistio had nine while Micaela Pingris, daughter of former PBA player and Gilas Pilipinas star Marc Pingris, chipped in seven.
DIS survived a scare in the extended second set and was in trouble in the early going of the third frame before Banal led a telling assault to create enough separation on its way to claiming the throne.
Huskies ace Julia Rodriguez was silenced to just five points as the Taguig-based squad threw away 29 points from errors to settle for silver.
Both teams have been promoted to the Division 1 contest next year.
On the other hand, De La Salle-Lipa salvaged a podium finish after copping the Division 1 bronze medal at the expense of Emilio Aguinaldo College, 25-22, 25-12, 25-20.
The troika of Althea Sumague, Maxene Sumagaysay and Kyle Aldovino did most of the damage for the Green Stallion’s quick work on the Lady Brigadiers.
Sumague scored all of her 12 points off kills, Sumagaysay had 11 markers while Aldovino added 10 points.
In the Division 2 battle for third, Immaculate Conception Academy outclassed St. Paul College-Pasig, 25-12, 25-14, 25-16, behind the 13-point explosion of Sophia Tan.
Dethroned Adamson University saved some semblance of pride with a hard-earned come-from-behind escape over Far Eastern University-Diliman, 24-26, 21-25, 25-18, 35-33, 17-15, in the Division 1 classification match for fifth place.
Ellaine Gonzalvo fired 25 points to lead two other Lady Baby Falcons in double figures. Francheska Adem added 19 markers while Kristal Martin submitted 14 points for Adamson, which survived the 27-point outing of Lady Baby Tamaraw’s Nigerian gunner Ifunanya Udeagbala in the match that lasted two hours and seven minutes.
Arellano University took seventh place via default with opponent King’s Montessori School late for their scheduled Division 1 classification match.
De La Salle-Zobel B rallied from a set down to beat Assumption Antipolo 13-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-22, for fifth place while La Salle Green Hills dumped Miriam College, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 25-19, for a seventh place finish in Division 2.
