National University-Archipelago Builders wasted no time getting back on its feet, taking out its frustrations from its first loss of the season on the Armed Forces of the Philippines with a dominant 25-14, 25-16, 25-19 sweep in the 2026 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
Stung by their first setback against defending champion Criss Cross last Wednesday, the Bulldogs responded with a commanding performance, rediscovering their rhythm while officially eliminating the winless Cavaliers from semifinal contention.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
NU imposed its will from the opening serve, dominating all three sets to return to the winning column and improve to a 4-1 record. The victory allowed the Bulldogs to maintain their hold on third place and strengthen their bid for a top-four finish in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Greg Ancheta orchestrated the bounce-back performance, dishing out 19 excellent sets for the Bulldogs.
“Unang una po is tinrabaho namin ‘yung service saka reception namin kasi dun kami nagkulang, kaya nahihirapan po kami makakuha ng defense dun sa laro namin against Criss Cross,” said Ancheta.
“For me, as setter, naging problema ko rin talaga nung game ng Criss Cross is masyado akong nagmamadali. So nag-mindset ako na kailangan kalmahan ko lang para hindi rin magbago ‘yung tempo ng laro,” he added.
Jade Disquitado led NU’s offensive charge with 13 points and 10 excellent receptions, while Leo Ordiales chipped in 12 points on nine attacks and three kill blocks in the Bulldogs’ quick 64-minute victory.
Buds Buddin contributed 11 points and seven excellent digs, while RK Medino and Godfrey Gambo added seven and five points, respectively, off the bench.
The Bulldogs dominated the Cavaliers across all departments, holding commanding advantages in attacks (44-28), blocks (9-3), and service aces (4-1) to complete their convincing bounce-back performance.
NU will look to further strengthen its semifinal bid when it takes on AEP-Cabstars on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Meanwhile, the loss officially eliminated AFP from semifinal contention, dropping the Cavaliers to a winless 0-7 record.
James Buytrago and Pol Salvador paced AFP with eight points apiece. The Cavaliers were once again without Ranran Abdilla, who missed his second consecutive game.
AFP will look to snap its seven-game losing streak when it faces Savouge on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
