By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The St. John’s Institute (SJI) – Bacolod Falcons and One La Salle kept their unbeaten campaigns intact after posting straight-set victories in the 2026 Shakey’s Juniors National Invitationals at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan City on Tuesday, July 14.

SJI notched its third consecutive win by overpowering visiting squad Perfect Set Dream Makers, 25-16, 25-15, strengthening its bid for a Final 4 berth in the weeklong tournament.

Caera Celis spearheaded the Falcons with 11 points, highlighted by seven attacks and four service aces, while Edz Escultura chipped in nine points, including five kills and four aces.

“It feels good to play against other teams from other countries. Taga-ibang bansa sila, kaya nag-a-adjust kami kasi iba ang sistema nila,” Escultura said.

“We’re grateful na nakalaban namin sila,” she added.

The Falcons dictated the match from the service line, firing 13 aces while also holding a 23-14 advantage in attack points during the 52-minute contest.

Perfect Set Dream Makers remained winless after three matches.

Victoria Anderson led the California-based team with six points, while Nizmund Manalad contributed three.

In another match, One La Salle improved to 3-0 after defeating Pusong Azul, 25-22, 25-19.

Kylie Celada paced One La Salle with 16 points built on 14 attacks and two aces.

Antonella Jayobo and Aislinn Alemana each finished with five markers.

One La Salle dominated offensively with 30 attack points and capitalized on 15 points from Pusong Azul’s errors to move closer to securing a semifinal berth.

Pusong Azul slipped to its fourth straight defeat despite a 10-point effort from Jhenica Sadia.

Juliana Peregrino added six points./ASC, WDJ