Regina Jurado of UST in action against CSB in the 2026 Shakey's Super League Unity Cup on September 26, 2026 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Handout/Shakey's
MANILA — Regina Jurado led University of Santo Tomas to a 25-21, 25-12, 25-18 sweep of College of Saint Benilde in their first game in the 2026 Shakey's Super League (SSL) Unity Cup on Saturday.
Jurado scored 12 of her 13 points on kills as the Golden Tigresses asserted their mastery over the Lady Blazers in a rematch of their SSL National Invitationals championship showdown.
"Very thankful and nakaka-gain talaga ng confidence namin na first win namin ito and sunud-sunod ang mga games and liga. Happy na nakuha namin ang first game na ito," said Jurado, who only saw action in two sets.
The win at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum put UST in joint first in Pool B along with Mapua.
Marga Altea and Erica Guttierez added seven points each while Avril Bron finished with five markers for the Tigresses, whose one-hour, 20-minute triumph was aided by the Lady Blazers' 25 errors.
UST head coach Shaq Delos Santos also tested his setter rotation and yielded good results. Aneeza Santos and Arlene Waje tallied eight excellent sets each while veteran playmaker Cassie Carballo dished out six.
UST encountered resistance late in the first set after CSB cut a five-point deficit down to two, 23-21.
The Tigresses responded with two straight points capped by a kill by Jurado.
UST's second stringers held the fort in the second frame, dominating their Lady Blazers counterparts.
The Tigresses cruised the rest of the way to begin their mission to settle unfinished business after a runner-up finish in the previous edition of the tournament.
Camila Bartolome was the lone bright spot for CSB, unloading 11 points on nine kills and two aces. Mary Grace Borromeo had six points for the Lady Blazers.
In the second game, Far Eastern University overpowered Ateneo De Manila University, 25-20, 25-13, 25-12, in Pool C.
Far Eastern University celebrates against Ateneo in the 2026 Shakey's Super League Unity Cup on September 26, 2026 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Handout/Shakey's
Playmaker Karyll Miranda displayed maturity in filling the big shoes left by former main setter Tin Ubaldo and led the Lady Tamaraws' fluid offense with 13 excellent sets.
FEU was a bit rusty in the opening frame before slowly getting its rhythm to bag a dominating win over the Blue Eagles.
"Siguro nandoon pa rin yung jitters na sinasabi kapag first game. Yun ang na-redeem namin, naibalik namin ang sarili namin while nandoon kami sa loob ng game. Lagi ko lang sinasabihan ang mga teammates ko na maging composed lang and stay confident," said Miranda, who also scored four points.
Mitzi Panangin led the Lady Tamaraws' balanced scoring with eight points on four hits, three kill blocks and an ace. Gerzel Petallo and Ia David added seven markers each while Kyle Pendon and Jaz Ellarina chipped in six points each for FEU, which hosted a block party with 14 kill blocks.
Ateneo threw away 17 free points off its errors and struggled on service receive after allowing the Lady Tamaraws to land seven aces.
Jihan Chuatico had seven points and Sophia Buena added six for the Blue Eagles. Rookie Brianna Ang had two points in just one set of action.