University of Santo Tomas displayed its strong heart and stronger determination in outworking Bacolod Tay Tung in the winner-take-all final, 16-25, 26-24, 19-25, 28-26, 15-10, to conquer the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 on Friday, May 1, at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.

Banking on sweet-hitting wingers Nicole Pelaez and Most Valuable Player Kim Rubin, the Junior Golden Tigresses completed a seven-game sweep of the competition backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner, and R and B Milk Tea.

In a battle of nerves in the fifth set, the Thunderbolts blinked first as the focused UST side unleashed a decisive 8-2 run that turned a 5-5 deadlock into a comfortable 13-7 advantage.

Rhose Almedralejo tried to will Bacolod Tay Tung back to stop the Thunderbolts’ bleeding. The Junior Tigresses reached match point after Almendralejo sent her serve short, 14-8.

Bacolod Tay Tung saved two match points before Nicole Mendoza shut the door on Jhaennine Mayang for the championship-clinching kill block.

Pelaez fired 24 points on 20 kills and four kill blocks while Rubin scored 22 of her 23 points on kills for UST, which reached the finals for the first time in four years after dethroning National University Nazareth School in a five-set thriller in the Final Four.

“Masasabi ko lang tyinaga talaga ng mga bata. Sabi ko nga sa kanila lalo na sina Rubin kasi senior na sila, sabi ko gumawa kayo ng history simula semis kasi ito na ang huling Shakey’s (GVIL) nyo. Sabi nga nila, ‘Coach, ngayon lang kami pumasok.’ So trabahuhin lang natin. Tyagain lang natin. Kulang kami ng players; sa totoo lang, nine players lang kami. Tyinaga lang namin. Unti-unti ginawan namin ng solusyon,” UST coach Rochette Villegas said.

Mendoza and Eliz Menchavez added 10 markers each for the Junior Tigresses.

The Thunderbolts ended as runner-up for the third straight time despite the 26-point effort of Almendralejo. Mayang added 17 points while Faith Banguia had 12 in a losing effort.

Almendralejo was named Best Outside Hitter, Jhayna Bulandres of NUNS got the Best Opposite Spiker award while Medoza took the Best Middle Blocker recognition. Bacolod Tay Tung’s Luchi Viviero was Best Libero while UST’s Andreaj Tan Chun Bing bagged Best Setter.

Meanwhile, NUNS-B was crowned Division 2 champion after overcoming a hard-fighting University of Batangas High School, 33-31, 25-17, 25-23, in the one-game final.

The Lady Bullpups displayed nerves of steel in staving off the feisty Junior Lady Brahmans in the extended first set before dominating the next two frames for their breakthrough crown.

Keera Talabut scored 14 points on 13 kills and an ace to lead NUNS-B to a perfect 8-0 sweep.

Ellaine Tayag posted 11 of her 12 markers from kills while Jheiza Giducos finished with 12 points, including the championship-winning kill block, for the Lady Bullpups.

NUNS-B had a late scare in the third set after UB saved two match points to close in, 24-23, following a Larra Recinto kill. Giducos quelled the Junior Lady Brahmans’ uprising with a defensive gem at the net to seal the one-hour, 56-minute encounter.

NUNS-B squandered six setpoint advantages and even needed to save three setpoints before snatching the opening frame. Khaira Manzano tied the set one last time at 30 before a Talabut crosscourt kill and an error by UB gave the Lady Bullpups the set.

Recinto led the Junior Lady Brahmans with 11 points while Bea Butardo had nine markers. Andrea Gabrinao and Scarlett Escalante chipped in six each for UB, which saw its seven-game winning run snapped.

Last year’s Division 1 champion NUNS salvaged some measure of pride with a 25-18, 25-21, 25-18, sweep of Far Eastern University-Diliman for a bronze medal finish in the the tournament backed by Smart Sports, PusoP.com, Solar Sports Free TV, Mikasa, Asics, Eurotel, Team Rebel Sports, and Rigour Technology as technical partners.

On the other hand, Bacolod Tay Tung-B took bronze in Division 2 after beating Corpus Christi School, 25-15, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20.

St. John’s Institute outlasted Adamson University, 15-25, 26-28, 25-19, 25-21, 15-10, for a fifth place finish while King’s Montessori dominated Immaculada Concepcion College, 25-20, 25-7, 25-13, for seventh place in Division 1.

In the Division 2 classification round, St. Jude Parish School defeated University of Santo Tomas-B, 25-15, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22, for a fifth place finish while inaugural champion Domuschola International School landed in seventh after topping host La Salle Green Hills, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20.

SGVIL games are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.