The NU Lady Bulldogs celebrate a point against UST in Game 1 of the SSL Preseason Unity Cup Finals, November 8, 2025 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Handout/Shakey's
MANILA -- National University recovered from a brutal fourth set to outlast University of Santo Tomas in Game 1 of the 2025 Shakey's Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup Finals, Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Lady Bulldogs absorbed a beating in the fourth frame and trailed late in the decider, but displayed their heart in taking a hard-earned 15-25, 25-23, 25-17, 13-25, 15-12 victory.
They now lead 1-0 in the best-of-3 series, and are on the brink of a four-peat in the preseason tournament.
NU, also the reigning UAAP champions, erased a late deficit by scoring the final five points of the match to stun the Tigresses.
Rookie Sam Cantada scored 18 points, built on 16 kills and two aces, in her return from a stint with the national team to lead the still unbeaten NU to its ninth straight win in the preseason competition.
"Tumatakbo lang po sa talaga isip ko kahit anong mangyari alam kong may goal kami. Alam naming gusto naming makuha ang game na ito," said Cantanda.
Chams Maaya anchored NU's net defense, accounting for eight of their 13 kill blocks. Her last rejection -- against Angge Poyos -- clinched the win for the Lady Bulldogs after a two-hour, 39-minute marathon.
Maaya finished with 14 points while Kaye Bombita and Vange Alinsug had 11 and nine markers, respectively.
National U can wrap up the series with another win in Game 2 next Saturday, November 15. A deciding Game 3, if necessary, is set on November 19.
The Lady Bulldogs had bounced back in the second and third sets after surrendering the opener, but UST dominated the fourth to extend the match to a decider.
The Golden Tigresses surged to a 12-10 lead off a Regina Jurado kill, but the Lady Bulldogs were stronger down the stretch as Bombita sparked their 5-0 closing blast with an off-the-block kill.
UST gifted National U a point with a rotation fault in the next play, before Abegail Pono scored to give the Lady Bulldogs the lead for good. Poyos committed an overreach in the ensuing rally, before Maaya turned her back at the net to wrap up the match for NU.
"I just told them we have to focus on the process and not the result. Kasi every time we do that, we tend to forget a lot of steps and we’re always in a hurry kaya nagkaka-problema kami," said NU coach Regine Diego.
"Once we tried to focus everything sa steps, sa pasa muna, isa-isa, then it got better in the end," she added.
The Tigresses saw their seven-game winning streak snapped following the collapse in the first game of their return to the finals following a runner-up finish in 2023.
Poyos scored 20 of her 21 points off kills, Jurado had 12 markers while Marga Altea and Xyza Gula chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, for UST.