Reigning champions National University and a retooled University of the Philippines wasted no time stamping their class as they both cruised to straight-set victories in the opening day of the 2025 Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals Davao Leg on Friday at the University of Southeastern Philippines Gym.
NU, gunning for a repeat crown, showed no signs of slowing down despite the departure of key stars from last season.
The Lady Bulldogs overwhelmed Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, 25-19, 25-13, 25-19, in a powerful opening statement that took just one hour and 26 minutes to complete.
Moments earlier, the revamped Fighting Maroons of UP also made a strong impression with a 25-11, 25-13, 25-15 sweep of the Davao Selection, leaning on new faces and key transfers to fend off a late resistance from the local bets.
Both squads not only topped their respective assignments but also gave fans a preview of their contrasting yet effective styles—NU with its balanced offensive depth and proven championship poise, and UP with a youthful fire powered by new weapons.
For the Lady Bulldogs, it was the rookie show.
Fresh from leading NU Nazareth to the 2025 Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League title, Sam Cantada made an explosive senior team debut, scoring six of her seven points on attacks in just two sets of play.
Fellow freshman and Davao native Denesse Daylisan also impressed with six points, energizing a squad that’s moving forward from the departure of three-time UAAP MVP Bella Belen and scoring machine Alyssa Solomon.
“Good game naman sila and ‘yung mga ini-expect namin na lumabas ay lumabas naman. Yung mga adjustments, kailangan talaga namin yun kasi kababalik lang namin pero intact pa naman,” said NU assistant coach Alvin Dumalaog, pleased with how the young Lady Bulldogs handled the pressure of defending their title.
NU’s veteran core still anchored the team’s rhythm.
Kaye Bombita tallied 10 points, Arah Panique chipped in eight, Chams Maaya added seven, skipper Vange Alinsug had six, and playmaker Lams Lamina contributed nine excellent sets.
NU took control early but had to weather a mini-rally from the Lady Kingfishers in the third set.
From a slim 3-all tie, the Bulldogs unleashed a 6-1 run, only for NDDU to stay within striking distance through Ruzzel Barong and Karylle Baclaan.
But back-to-back plays from Cantada and Bombita closed the door on the upset-minded squad from General Santos.
Barong and Baclaan had eight and seven points, respectively, in a valiant stand for NDDU.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Maroons faced a slight third-set scare from the Davao Selection before regrouping with a late burst to seal their sweep.
Casiey Dongallo, a high-profile transferee from UE, scattered seven of her game-high 15 points in the third frame alone to lead UP’s charge.
Kiane Olango and Nina Ytang added 12 and 11 markers, respectively, as UP kept pace with NU atop the Day 1 leaderboard of the tournament backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner, and R and B Milk Tea.
UP head coach Fabio Menta tried to give his second unit valuable court time, but the move briefly disrupted the team’s rhythm, allowing the Davao squad to grab a 10-9 lead.
“When we start changing players, of course, it’s not the same type of (chemistry) inside. We’ve only done ball only for one month, so not all 14 players are the same level right now. It changes the tempo. Changing the setter started forcing too many (errors) and gave courage to the other team,” explained Menta, who noted the team’s 25 unforced errors as an area for improvement.
Sensing danger, Menta called a timeout to refocus his troops.
“I just reminded them of what our rules are and then they went back to court. Of course, sometimes I have to show different faces so they get scared. Nothing serious. But I saw mistakes we are not supposed to make,” he added with a wry smile.
Elysha Cabingatan topscored with four points for the Davao Selection, whose players are from Ateneo de Davao University, Holy Cross of Davao College, and University of Mindanao.
The Fighting Maroons face Notre Dame of Dadiangas University at 3:30 PM, while the Lady Bulldogs will go up against the hometown Davao Selection at 6:00 PM, looking to maintain their early momentum in the tourney also supported by Asics, Mikasa, Smart Sports, F2 Logistics, Team Rebel Sports, Belo Deo, SM Tickets, and PusoP.com.
Catch all the action live and on-demand via PusoP.com and Solar Sports.
