National University foiled University of Santo Tomas’ reverse-sweep bid, 25-19, 26-24, 16-25, 14-25, 19-17, to snap a two-game skid in the V-League 2025 Collegiate Challenge on Tuesday, August 19, night at Paco Arena in Manila.

After suffering consecutive losses to De La Salle and Ateneo, the defending UAAP champions regrouped and dug deep, overcoming four match points from the Golden Spikers in the decider to claim a hard-earned bounce-back win. The result also marked UST’s first defeat of the tournament.

NU leans on rookies in crucial moments

Missing stars Buds Buddin and Jade Disquitado due to national team commitments with Alas Pilipinas Men, the Bulldogs relied on rookies Luke Macatangay and Yuan Mendoza. Mendoza shined with 18 points and 13 digs, while Macatangay added 16 points. Both played key roles in clutch exchanges that swung momentum NU’s way.

Head coach Dante Alinsunurin credited his young players for rising to the challenge despite lapses. “Sobrang thankful ako kasi yung mga bata talaga… sa ganitong panalo, mas makakatulong sa kanila ito and sana i-continue nila yung pagkakaroon ng ganitong mindset every game,” Alinsunurin said.

Errors decide the fifth set

The fifth set was a tense back-and-forth battle. UST reached match point at 14-13, but a service error by Sherwin Umandal extended the game. After multiple ties at 16 and 17, UST committed costly errors down the stretch. An illegal backrow attack by Gboy de Vega and a misfired attempt by JJ Macam sealed the Bulldogs’ dramatic win.

NU limited itself to 32 errors compared to UST’s 42, a key difference in the outcome. Alinsunurin emphasized that avoiding unforced errors was the team’s focus.

Aside from Mendoza and Macatangay, Jan Abanilla contributed nine points despite battling pain, while Choi Diao added eight markers. For UST, De Vega scored a game-high 23 points, while Al-Bukharie Sali finished with 15 before cramping in the final set.

With the win, NU improved to 2-2, tying Ateneo in the standings, and will next face FEU in a finals rematch on August 24. UST dropped to 3-1 after earlier victories over Ateneo, Letran, and Benilde.