Frances Mordi refused to let Adamson University’s title bid slip away. Her 24 points lifted the Lady Falcons past the University of Santo Tomas, 22-25, 25-19, 16-25, 27-25, 15-12, in Game 1 of the 2026 V-League Collegiate Challenge finals on Wednesday, October 7.

Adamson trailed 1-2 in sets at the Filoil EcoOil Centre before storming back to move one win away from back-to-back V-League crowns. The Lady Falcons did it without reigning UAAP MVP Shaina Nitura.

UST took the opener, 25-22, before Adamson leveled with a 25-19 win in the second. The Golden Tigresses regained the lead with a 25-16 victory in the third, setting up a dramatic fourth set that went to extras, 27-25.

Mordi Leads Adamson’s Comeback in V-League Game 1

Mordi finished the match with 24 points on 21 attacks, two blocks and one ace, and added 11 excellent receptions. Her all-around production gave Adamson an anchor on both offense and serve-receive throughout the long, five-set battle.

Joy Aseo supported her with 19 points, all from attacks, while Lhouriz Tuddao posted 12 points and 11 excellent digs. Eloi Dote added eight points, three of them from blocks.

Setter Fhei Sagaysay held the offense together with 28 excellent sets and four points. Juris Manuel contributed 12 excellent digs and 11 excellent receptions.

Adamson survived a late scare in the fourth set when it stood a point away from defeat at 23-24. Tuddao, Lana Barrera, Dote and Mordi combined to force a decider, which Adamson won 15-12.

Nitura sat out the match after coming off a campaign with Alas Pilipinas in the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Adamson’s ability to win without its reigning UAAP MVP adds weight to the victory as the Lady Falcons chase another V-League crown.

Adamson vs. UST Series Heads to Game 2 on Friday

Late in the decider, Adamson led 10-9 before Marga Altea committed an attack error. Sagaysay then made a smart push to stretch the lead to 12-9 and put the Lady Falcons in command.

Mordi’s cross-court attack put Adamson at match point, 14-12. Angge Poyos kept UST alive with an off-the-block hit, but Sagaysay stayed composed and found Janna Dizon with a perfectly timed pass for the game-winning quick attack.

Lady Falcons head coach JP Yude said the team had been bickering in practice a day earlier. “We thank the Lord for this win,” Yude said, adding that training had readied them for a fifth-set situation.

For UST, Regina Jurado paced the Golden Tigresses with 25 points on 19 attacks, three blocks and three aces, plus 19 excellent digs. Poyos added 17 points and 11 excellent receptions, while Altea chipped in 13 points and Unekwe added 10.

UST showed plenty of fight, with Jurado and Poyos combining for 42 points. Yet the Golden Tigresses could not find the crucial stops they needed in the decider.

For UST, the loss stings after leading 2-1 in sets and holding a 24-23 edge in the fourth. The Golden Tigresses now have little time to regroup, with Game 2 just two days away on Friday.

With the victory, Adamson sits one win away from a second straight V-League Collegiate Challenge title. Finishing the series would reward a team that refused to fold when Game 1 appeared to be slipping away.

UST must win Game 2 on Friday at 2 p.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre to force a do-or-die Game 3. Adamson, for its part, can seal the championship with just another win.