University of Santo Tomas emerged victorious over National University Nazareth School, securing a 25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23 victory to claim the PNVF Under-18 Girls’ title in an all-University Athletic Association of the Philippines finale on Sunday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Kimberly Rubin led UST to victory and later earned the Most Valuable Player trophy.
Rubin also earned the title of First Best Open Hitter, with her teammates Avril Bron (First Best Middle Blocker) and Lianne Penuliar (Second Best Middle Blocker) contributing to UST’s flawless championship run.
“Congratulations to the girls,” said UST head coach Lerma Giron. “Each of them stood out in challenging moments.”
Completing the girls’ dream team were Althea Sumague (Second Best Open Hitter) from fourth-placer La Salle-Lipa, Jayrelle Mesa (Best Libero) from third-placer Kings’ Montessori School, Harlyn Serneche (Best Opposite Hitter), and Cheska Peñol (Best Setter) from runner-up NU.
Meanwhile, Umingan National High School clinched the boys’ crown with a thrilling 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 16-14 victory over VNS-Savouge.
“It’s been tough, incredibly tough, we’ve faced many challenges,” exclaimed Eusebio Solis, the head of mathematics at the school.
Umingan’s Michael Angelo Fernandez was named the tournament MVP and First Best Open Hitter.
Other awardees in the boys’ division included Luke Anton Macatangay (Second Best Open Hitter) from bronze medalist Canossa Academy, Roderick Medina (Best Opposite Hitter) from runner-up VNS-Savouge, and Lawrence Lanting (Best Libero) from fourth-placer Angatleta Sports-Orion, Bataan.
