National University punched its ticket to the Finals of the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge with a statement victory, sweeping Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 25-14, 25-23, 25-20, on Sunday at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Bulldogs made sure there would be no repeat of their heartbreaking Game 2 loss, storming back with a vengeance after the Knights denied them a series sweep last Sunday with a thrilling five-set escape, 22-25, 25-23, 29-27, 13-25, 20-18, to force a winner-take-all showdown.
The victory sent NU back to the V-League Collegiate Challenge championship round for the first time since its title run in 2022.
“Sa’kin, na-challenge namin sila after nung game namin kahapon,” said Bulldogs head coach Dante Alinsunurin. “Kailangan talaga kung ano ‘yung mga kailangan naming gawin na adjustments, magawa namin today.
“Yun ‘yon, ‘yung pagpunta nila dito, talagang gusto nilang kunin ‘yung game. Naka-mindset sila na kailangang manalo ngayong araw na ‘to.”
Rookie RK Medino led NU with 17 points, all coming from attacks, as he shouldered the scoring load in the absence of top stars Buds Buddin, Leo Ordiales, and Peng Taguibolos, who had just wrapped up their campaign with Alas Pilipinas in the 20th Asian Games in Japan.
Jade Disquitado added 13 points and five excellent receptions, while Luke Macatangcay chipped in 10 points. Choi Diao and Obed Mukaba also contributed seven and six points, respectively.
Greg Ancheta orchestrated NU’s offense with 22 excellent sets, while also scoring three points as the Bulldogs needed just 73 minutes to dispatch the hard-fighting Knights.
NU dominated across all scoring categories, finishing with a 41-35 edge in attacks, a 12-7 advantage in blocks, and a 3-2 lead in aces. The Bulldogs also capitalized on Letran’s 19 errors while limiting their own miscues to just 13.
The Finals will pit NU against rival Far Eastern University, renewing a familiar rivalry between the two schools after they faced off in the last two UAAP Finals. Game 1 is set for Friday.
Meanwhile, Dave Lardizabal paced Letran with 16 points on 13 attacks and three blocks, while Jasper Afgao and Vince Himzon added 10 and nine points, respectively, in the defeat.
The Knights will take on College of Saint Benilde in the battle for third place, also on Friday.
