University of Santo Tomas shook off a straight-set stumble against Perpetual Help, firing on all cylinders to sweep Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 25-21, 25-19, 25-19, in the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge on Sunday, September 13, at the Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.

The win pushed the Golden Tigresses’ record to 3-2 and lifted them to third place in the standings, keeping their semifinal aspirations well within reach.

Golden Tigresses Overpower Winless Letran Across the Board

UST controlled every phase of the match, finishing with a 41-33 edge in attacks, an 8-1 advantage in blocks, and a 6-5 cushion in aces. The dominance proved too much for Letran, which fell to 0-5 and was officially eliminated from tournament contention.

UST head coach Shaq delos Santos acknowledged the win but pointed to areas still needing work. “Syempre una masaya kasi nanalo kami. To be honest, I think siguro ‘yung gusto namin is mas mapaganda pa ‘yung nilalaro namin, mag-improve pa para sa mga susunod pa naming laro,” he said.

The Golden Tigresses wrapped up the match in one hour and 22 minutes, using their balanced attack to keep Letran off-balance from start to finish.

Knop Paces Four-Woman Scoring Attack for UST

Ashlee Knop topped all scorers with a game-high 14 points, built on 13 attacks and one ace, anchoring UST’s offense throughout the sweep.

Kimberly Rubin backed her up with eight points, while Marga Altea and Erica Gutierrez added seven and six points, respectively. The balanced scoring spread made it difficult for Letran to key in on any single UST attacker.

Judiel Nitura led the Lady Knights with 11 points, and Carlyn Tizon followed with 10, but the effort wasn’t enough to slow UST’s momentum.

UST will look to keep its semifinal push alive when it faces UAAP rival Adamson University on September 20 at 5 p.m. Letran, meanwhile, will aim to salvage its tournament with a win over University of the East on Saturday at 3 p.m.