University of Santo Tomas' Angge Poyos and Reg Jurado. Handout/SSL
MANILA (UPDATED) — Undefeated University of Santo Tomas secured the No. 1 seeding in the semifinals after a quick work of Australian guest team Southern Storm Melbourne, 25-20, 25-14, 25-9, in the 2026 Shakey’s Collegiate National Invitationals on Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The Golden Tigresses neutralized the Australians’ height advantage by beating them to the draw with fast and angled attacks to break their defensive wall on their way to a 4-0 win-loss record.
It was the veteran duo of Angge Poyos and Regina Jurado who did most of the damage as UST inched closer to completing an elimination round sweep.
Poyos punched in 14 points on 13 kills and an ace while Jurado played her first game in the tournament after sitting out the first two and contributed eight points for the Espana-based squad.
READ: UST boosts Final Four bid; Benilde returns to win column in Shakey’s tourney
“Grateful kasi nakuha namin itong panalo na ito in straight sets. Matatangkad yung mga kalaban and nu’ng first set parang kinakapa ko pa,” said Poyos, who was limited to three points in the first set.
“Inaral ko naman na magamit, na ginagawa naman namin sa training, which is ipa-check ball yung bola, lalo na ‘yung mga blockers matatangkad,” Poyos added.
Marga Altea also had eight markers for the Tigresses, who will face Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Club on Thursday to close the elims.
UST dictated the pace the whole match for an easy 80-minute victory that snapped Southern Storm’s three-game winning streak, pulling the Aussies down to second with a 3-1 win-loss record.
READ: Volleyball: UST turns back St. Benilde for back-to-back wins in Shakey's tilt
The Tigresses rained down 47 attack points with young setter Arlene Waje dishing out eight excellent sets.
UST blew the third set wide open with a 14-1 blast that turned a four-point lead early in the frame into an insurmountable 24-7 advantage.
Southern Storm saved two matchpoints before Tigresses middle blocker Bianca Plaza called it a day with a quick attack.
No player from the Aussies' side reached double-digit scoring, with Cleo Anastasias finishing with nine points.
Isabella Smith and Steph Baker had six and five points, respectively, for Southern Storm, which already secured a semis seat on Tuesday night after beating the Vietnamese, 25-15, 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 15-12.
The Australian squad shoots for the No. 2 seed against College of Saint Benilde on Thursday.
Meanwhile, in the second game, Enderun Colleges breathed life into its flickering Final Four bid after a straight-set victory over Vietnamese guest team Ho Chi Minh City Volleyball Club, 25-16, 29-27, 25-16, for a 1-3 win-loss record.
Althea Botor fired 14 points built on 12 attacks, one kill block and an ace as the Lady Titans remained in contention for a spot in the next round.
After a scare in the extended second set, where Enderun needed to save three set points, it was all Lady Titans in the third frame to finally notch a win after dropping their first three outings.
Michaella Ma got 11 points on nine spikes and two kill blocks while Ederlyn Alba scored 10 for Enderun, which will play Letran on Thursday.
The Vietnamese remained at the cellar with a 0-4 mark.