The quarterfinals of the 2025 Shakey’s Pre-Season Unity Cup began on October 21 at the San Andres Gym in Manila, as National University marched its way to the semifinals while College of Saint Benilde forced a Do-Or-Die match against Adamson University.
Celine Marsh Helps Lady Bulldogs to Remain a Clean Record
With a perfect 6-0 record, Celine Marsh and the rest of the N.U. Lady Bulldogs were ready for the next challenge in the Playoffs.
NU had a rocky start, narrowly winning the first set before losing momentum in the second.
However, the Lady Bulldogs regrouped in the third and fourth frames, with Abegail Pono contributing 12 points, Alexa Mata and Myrtle Escanlar adding 11 apiece, and Chams Maaya scoring 10. Setter Lams Lamin orchestrated the plays with 19 excellent sets, helping NU dominate the attack count, 59-40.
FINAL SCORE = Set 1: 26-24, Set 2: 27-25, Set 3: 25-18, Set 4: 25-16
Sophomore open spiker Celine Marsh delivered a career-best performance, scoring 23 points built on 21 attacks and two blocks. Stepping up in the absence of key players Sam Cantada and Denesse Daylisan, who are representing the Philippines in the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.
Photo Credits: Shakey’s Super League
“It wasn’t our A-game. We still need to improve a lot. We still need to connect a lot and stuff. What we did in the remaining sets, we kept our composure to win this match,” said Marsh after leading the team past the Lady Red Spikers.
San Beda’s Angel Habacon stood out in the loss with 17 points. Despite the challenge, NU remained composed to keep its unbeaten record intact and moved one step closer to a potential four-peat title.
UST Cruises Past Ateneo to Enter Final Four
The University of Santo Tomas also secured its place in the semifinals after dispatching Ateneo de Manila University to mark its fourth straight Final Four appearance in the tournament.
Regina Jurado led UST with 13 points, while Xyza Gula chipped in 11. The Tigresses built early momentum in the first two sets before holding off a late Ateneo rally in the third. The Blue Eagles came as close as 22-21, but UST’s trio of Angge Poyos, Cassie Carballo, and Blessing Unekwe sealed the victory after an hour and 31 minutes of play.
FINAL SCORES = Set 1: 25-16, Set 2: 25-21, Set 3: 25-21
Photo Credits: Shakey’s Super League
Faye Nisperos tallied nine points, while Ana Hermosura added seven for Ateneo, which ended its campaign with a sixth consecutive defeat.
Both NU and UST earned twice-to-beat advantages heading into the semifinals, having topped their respective pools after the second round.
Zam Nolasco of the CSB Lady Blazers Torched Nitura-less Adamson
The Lady Blazers edged an undermanned Adamson University, in a game wherein they missed the service of their star player Shaina Nitura due to injury, after a thrilling 5-set battle.
FINAL SCORES = Set 1: 28-26, Set 2: 25-20, Set 3: 25-15, Set 4: 25-19, Set 5: 15-12
Photo Credits: Shakey’s Super League
Rhea Densing led CSB with 24 points, including five in the deciding set, while Zam Nolasco and Camila Bartolome added 12 and nine markers, respectively.
Joy Aseo scored 20 points for Adamson in a losing effort, while teammates Frances Mordi and Abegail Segui added 11 each.
UP Forces a Winner Take All QF Match Thanks to Casiey Dongallo
On the other hand, the UP Fighting Maroons pulled off an upset over Far Eastern University, rallying from a first-set loss to win.
FINAL SCORES = Set 1: 27-25, Set 2: 25-21, Set 3: 25-18, Set 4: 25-20
Photo Credits: Shakey’s Super League
Casiey Dongallo starred for UP with 21 points, while Jelai Gajero contributed 13. FEU’s Gerzel Petallo and Alyzza Devosora chipped in 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Up Next: Do-Or-Die Quarterfinals Matches on October 24
With the quarterfinal results, NU will face the winner between Far Eastern University and University of the Philippines, while UST will take on either Adamson University or College of Saint Benilde in the semifinal round on Sunday.
The Do-or-Die Friday (Oct. 24) for the QF’s will feature: FEU vs UP at 3:00 PM and AdU vs CSB at 5:00 PM still at Paco Arena in Manila.
Semifinals will be on Sunday, October 26 and a sudden-death match, if necessary, will be held on October 29.
Meanwhile, San Beda and Ateneo will play in the classification round starting Friday at the Paco Arena.
