Manila: University of Santo Tomas (UST) squares off with Arellano University in the opener of the 2026 Shakey's Juniors National Invitationals, featuring international teams, at Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan on Saturday. Game time is set at 1 p.m.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Junior Golden Tigresses remain formidable with experienced holdovers who helped the team complete a breakthrough conquest of the Shakey's Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1 three months ago. The Kungfu Reyes-mentored UST, which lost most of its veterans, including SGVIL Most Valuable Player Kim Rubin, to the seniors ranks, still has a solid crew led by top setter Andreaj Tan Chun Bing, Nicole Pelaez, Eliz Menchavez, and libero Chas Pepito.
'Our lineup right now is different from that of the SGVIL. Almost three-fourth of our team in this Invitational are new players. Most are just incoming Grade 11,' UST assistant coach Yani Fernandez said during Friday's press conference in Quezon City. 'Here in the Invitationals, we want to see how our new players will react to competition and how they adapt to our system.'
Other matches pit Pusong Azul against Guam-based Pacific Volleyball Academy and St. John's Institute against One La Salle, which is composed of players from De La Salle Zobel, Green Hills, and Dasmari±as. Arellano University and Pacific Volleyball Academy return to action in the nightcap.
The California-based Perfect Set Dream Makers debut on Monday with back-to-back games against One La Salle and UST, respectively. Teams play a single round-robin elimination round, with the top four advancing to the knockout semifinals. Both the final and the battle for bronze are one-game showdowns. Preliminary round matches are best-of-three sets, while the semifinal and final matches are best-of-five sets.
'Our goal here is really to see how our (local) teams compete with international teams and for those international teams to see how we organize tournaments like these,' Dr. Ian Laurel, president of organizing Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc., said. 'We want a long-term goal of sharing the same vision with other countries and strengthening the local volleyball program at this level.'
Meanwhile, six teams will compete in the Shakey's Super League National Invitationals slated to begin on July 19. Foreign teams Ho Chi Minh Volleyball Club of Vietnam and Australian squad Southern Storm Melbourne will take on local squads led by Enderun Colleges, UST, Letran College, and College of Saint Benilde. Games in both divisions are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.
