By ADRIAN STEWART CO
The St. John’s Institute (SJI) – Bacolod Falcons came within two points of the championship but failed to finish off the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Junior Tigresses, absorbing a heartbreaking 25-19, 25-23, 23-25, 18-25, 19-17 defeat in the finals of the 2026 Shakey’s Juniors National Invitationals at the Playtime FilOil Arena in San Juan City on Saturday, July 18.
The Falcons erased a two-set deficit and pushed the match to a deciding fifth set, where they built a 12-7 advantage and later reached match point.
However, UST stormed back late and capitalized on crucial errors to snatch the title.
After Pelaez committed a service error that gave SJI a match point, Sophie Pamplona’s ensuing serve sailed long, allowing UST to stay alive.
The Junior Tigresses eventually moved ahead on a down-the-line hit by Jyrah Romias, while the Falcons managed to save two championship points before Kristel Mirasol’s attack went wide, ending the nearly three-hour battle.
Caera Celis carried the scoring load for SJI with 28 points, including 26 attacks.
Edz Escultura backed her with 14 points, while Mirasol added 13.
The Bacolod-based squad showed resilience after dropping the opening two sets.
Trailing 20-22 in the third, the Falcons closed the frame with a 5-1 run highlighted by three straight points from Celis to extend the match.
SJI sustained its momentum in the fourth set, with Celis and Escultura leading a dominant performance that forced a winner-take-all fifth frame.
Despite putting UST on the brink of defeat in the decider, the Falcons were unable to protect their late lead as the Junior Tigresses completed the comeback to finish the tournament unbeaten in eight matches.
Tournament Most Valuable Player Nicole Pelaez led UST with 27 points, while Romias added 17.
Anneli Manzanillo and Eliz Menchavez contributed 14 and 13 points, respectively.
“Ang turning point ay nung 12-8 [sa fifth set]. Nag-iba ang body language ng mga players namin. Pero ‘yun talaga sa fifth set, kung sino ang mas gustong manalo at lalaban, sa kanya mapupunta ang panalo,” UST head coach Yani Fernandez said./ASC, WDJ