National University-Nazareth School celebrates after beating Bacolod Tay Tung to rule the 2025 Shakey's Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup Division 1, June 7, 2025 at the La Salle Green Hills Gym. Handout/Shakey's
MANILA -- Third time indeed proved to be the charm for National University-Nazareth School, after they copped the elusive crown in the Shakey's Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup on Saturday.
The Lady Bullpups ruled the 2025 edition of the championship after outlasting a gritty and determined Bacolod Tay Tung side in a thrilling final at the La Salle Green Hills Gym.
Behind eventual tournament Most Valuable Player Sam Cantanda, the Lady Bullpups survived a nerve-wracking fourth set and displayed great composure down the stretch en route to a 27-25, 16-25, 21-25, 30-28, 15-13 triumph in the gold medal match.
The victory completed a "Grand Slam" of sorts for NU-Nazareth, after their victories in the UAAP Season 87 girls' volleyball tournament and the Palarong Pambansa, where they represented the National Capital Region.
READ: NU-Nazareth outlasts Bacolod Tay Tung in 5-set epic for SGVIL crown
"Aminado naman ako na mas sweeter siya kasi una ilan yung graduating players namin. So thankful ako sa kanila na nag-exit sila na champion sa mga last tournament namin," said Bullpups head coach Karl Dimaculangan, who also called the shots for the NU Lady Bulldogs' first of three straight centerpiece Shakey's Super League Collegiate Pre-season Championship titles back in 2022.
The finale was a rematch of the gold medal match in the Palarong Pambansa in Ilocos Norte a week ago, and the two protagonists lived up to the hype with an epic encounter.
NU-Nazareth saved a match point in the fourth set to bring the match to a decider, and won the battle of wills in the fifth frame as the Thunderbolts crumbled under pressure with costly back-to-back errors.
"Isang factor ay ‘yung pagod na rin. For almost two weeks same with Tay Tung, na two weeks diri-diretso ang game, talagang ‘yung puso na lang ng mga players (ang lumabas) para manalo," Dimaculangan said.
Bacolod Tay Tung ace Rhose Almendralejo, who recorded a tournament-best 35 points in the final, was feted as Best Outside Hitter while her teammates Amor Bartolome (Best Middle Blocker), Jan Rose Bulak (Best Setter) and Rhea Tomas (Best Libero) also received individual honors. NUNS' Harlyn Serneche won Best Opposite Hitter.
A record-setting 30 teams from Metro Manila and other regions, including 10 in the newly introduced Division 2 contest, participated in the tournament organized by Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc. (ACES).
"What started in 2023 as a modest GVIL family of 16 girls' high school teams, has blossomed into the 30-team GVIL community," said ACES chairman Philip Ella Juico.
"To the credit of Shakey's vision and in the spirit of its launching the first ever and pioneering Shakey's school-based women's volleyball league more than two decades ago, SPAVI (Shakey's Pizza Asia Ventures Inc) approved the concept of a girls nation-wide girls high school invitational league which I had, modesty aside, the distinct honor of proposing."
"After three years, SSL-GVIL, like the two other tournaments in the SSL-SPAVI-ACES portfolio, has become an outstanding and established feature of the Philippine volleyball supply chain and ecosystem," he added.
Domuschola International School overpowered Everest International Academy, 25-11, 26-24, 25-17, in the finals to reign supreme in Division 2.
DIS star Naihma Banal was named MVP and Best Middle Blocker while teammate Micaela Pingris bagged the Best Opposite Spiker citation. Everest's Wrean Ng (Best Setter), and Immaculate Conception Academy's Andreanne Tsai (Best Outside Spiker) and Jania Legaspi (Best Libero) round out the Division 2 individual awards winners.