The quarterfinals of the 2025 Shakey’s Pre-Season Unity Cup begins on October 21 at San Andres Gym, Manila.
That said, can the Shaina Nitura led Adamson University Lady Falcons win it all?
Only Lost via Default in Round 1 of Eliminations
To end the Round 1 of Elimination Stage, the Lady Falcons only lost 1 game due to default as their Game 3 Finals in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge against Far Eastern University had the same date last October 10.
In their 1st game on October 5, they swept the match versus Jose Rizal University to record their first win in Pool B. Bella Sapienza was the Best Player of the Match with 8 excellent sets to go along with 2 points.
They followed it with yet another match sweep to go 2-0 when they fought the Arellano University Lady Chiefs last October 9. This time, Marie Joy Aseo was given the BPOTM award as she finished the game with 12 points built on 8 attacks and 4 aces as well.
Suffered a Real Loss in Round 2 of Eliminations
As both the FEU Lady Tamaraws and the Adamson Lady Falcons moved to the Round 2 of Eliminations after finishing Top 2 in their respective groups, the real challenge emerges for the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge champions.
In Pool E, AdU is grouped with National University Lady Bulldogs, University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.
Last October 11, the Lady Bulldogs handed Adamson their first official loss of the tournament after a grueling 5-Set action. The win also gave N.U. the opportunity to continue their winning streak of the tournament.
Against ADMU, the Lady Falcons took no chance against their young opponents as they dispatched the Blue Eagle after 4 sets. The Foreign Student Athlete of Adamson, Frances Mordi, shined as the MVP of the match as her team go 1-1 as she finished with 20 points from her 17 attacks and 3 blocks.
Lastly, the Adamson took care of business in their last Round 2 match as they swept the UP Fighting Maroons last October 15. The Tournament and Finals MVP of the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge Shaina Nitura emerged as the MVP of the match with 22 points from her 21 attacks and an ace.
Playoffs Date with the 4-time NCAA Champions Benilde
Photo Credits: Shakey’s Super League via Facebook
To determine if the Lady Falcons can win back to back titles, they first have to face the 4-time NCAA Champions, College of Saint Benilde Lady Blazers.
The Zam Nolasco led Lady Blazers have won the title since Season 96 (2021).
Though CSB finished Round 1 with an unbeaten record of 3-0 and Round 2 with 1-2, Chenae Basarte and the rest of the Lady Blazers will surely put up a fight against Shaina Nitura and the rest of AdU.
A “Dream Finals Matchup” Versus the Unbeaten N.U.
Photo Credits: Shakey’s Super League via Facebook
With the Quarterfinals about to begin, many fans have voiced their excitement to see a “Dream Finals Match” between the unbeaten N.U. Lady Bulldogs and the UAAP Powerhouse Adamson.
The Lady Bulldogs currently have a record of 6-0, completing the entire elimination phase unbeaten.
While the fans of Adamson are dreaming of this fantasy match, they still have to beat CSB in the Quarters and either the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses led by Detdet Pepito or the young ADMU in the semifinals.
The Silver Lining for the Lady Falcons
With all of this on the line, the silver lining for the Adamson University Women’s Volleyball team is that their star player, Shaina Nitura, has help from her team now.
The leap for their sophomore Fhei Sagaysay has brought a lot of positives from the team which was very evident in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge. She also won the Best Setter award of the tournament.
Abegail Segui has also emerged to be the unsung hero of the team as she wins the Best Opposite Spiker award in the V-League tournament.
Lastly, their FSA Frances Mordi has now taken the role of 2nd option on offense as she shoulders the scoring duties of Nitura.
All in all, whether Adamson can win the title or not in the current Shakey’s Pre-Season Unity Cup, the maturity of the team and improvement individually of the players has given them the edge against any of their opponents and also boosted their chances of having a deep playoff run in the UAAP Season 88 come early 2026.
