The University of Santo Tomas Junior Golden Tigresses captured the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League Rising Stars Cup Division 1 title after outlasting Bacolod Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts, 16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 28-26, 15-10, on Friday night at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
UST leaned on the strong offensive showing of Kimberly Rubin to secure its first championship in the tournament, while Tay Tung settled for its third straight runner-up finish.
In Division 2, National University Nazareth School-B Lady Bullpups swept University of Batangas High School, 33-31, 25-17, 25-23, in a winner-take-all final to claim the title.
The Lady Bullpups displayed composure after surviving a tight opening set against the Junior Lady Brahmans before dominating the next two frames to clinch their first championship.
Keera Talabut led NUNS-B with 14 points built on 13 attacks and one ace, powering the team to a perfect 8-0 record. Ellaine Tayag contributed 12 points, including 11 kills, while Jheiza Giducos also scored 12 markers.
Larra Recinto paced University of Batangas with 11 points, while Bea Butardo added nine. Andrea Gabrinao and Scarlett Escalante chipped in six points each as the Junior Lady Brahmans saw their seven-game winning streak snapped.
Meanwhile, NUNS-A claimed the bronze medal in Division 1 after sweeping Far Eastern University-Diliman, 25-18, 25-21, 25-18, while Bacolod Tay Tung High School-B secured the Division 2 bronze medal with a 25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20 win over Corpus Christi School. (AC)
