Adamson University and National University emerged as the top seeds in their respective groups after completing unbeaten runs at the conclusion of the group stage of the 2026 UAAP Esports VALORANT Tournament on Friday at the NAOS Arena in Pasay City.
Adamson finished atop Group A with seven points on two wins and one draw, leapfrogging playoff-bound University of the East in the standings after handing the Red Warriors their first loss of the tournament with a 2-0 sweep in the final group-stage match.
For Soaring Falcons head coach Karlo Ocampo, finishing on top of the group was within expectations, although its earlier draw served as a timely reminder not to take any opponent lightly.
“Actually, expected namin na magta-top kami, so yung draw namin nakaraan medyo fumble talaga. Pero naging good thing siya in a way kasi naging wake-up call sa lahat na marunong din yung kalaban. Hindi puwedeng kampante lang palagi. Hindi puwedeng maging pabaya pa rin. Dapat yung right decisions palaging gawin sa mga situations,” explained Ocampo.
Against UE, the Soaring Falcons overturned an early 5-4 deficit in Game 1, conceding just one round the rest of the way to cruise to a dominant 13-6 victory.
Marc Louie Gutierrez punctuated his opening-game MVP performance with a clutch one-on-two play in the closing moments of the final round, finishing with 21 kills and six assists.
It was all-Adamson in Game 2 as the San Marcelino-based squad raced to an 8-0 lead before completing a near-shutout 13-1 victory.
(C) UAAP Media Team
In Group B, National University broke through after consecutive draws, delivering a dominant 2-0 sweep of the University of the Philippines to secure the top seed.
The Bulldogs opened the series with a lopsided 13-2 victory, sparked by Rob Ashton Huyong’s 19 kills and four assists.
UP kept the second map competitive early, battling NU to a 6-6 deadlock before the Jhocson-based squad went on a rampage and swept the next seven rounds to complete the sweep, 13-6.
With the win and the top seed in the bag, NU head coach Luis Yanga wants the Bulldogs to take some time to celebrate the breakthrough before turning their attention to the crucial matches in the playoffs.
“I think pinaka-important ngayon is, siyempre, not forgetting to celebrate yung mga small wins namin. Of course, hindi pa tapos yung laban. We want to take a moment para matuto dun sa kung ano yung mga errors namin for today,” said Yanga.
Far Eastern University also delivered a 1-1 stunner against three-peat-seeking De La Salle University to eliminate the latter from playoff contention.
With the draw, La Salle settled for third place in Group B with three points from three draws and kissed its title defense hopes goodbye, while UP secured the final playoff ticket after finishing second with four points on one win and one draw, against one loss.
In the other Group A match, UST ended its season run on a high note with a 2-0 sweep of fellow also-ran Ateneo de Manila University.
The playoff matches will return to the MVP Studios on Monday, September 7.
