The 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge has reached its penultimate stage, with Adamson University taking Game 1 of the Finals against Far Eastern University last October 6, 2025.
“Super Shai” Shaina Nitura is Full Display
The Adamson Lady Falcons were in their “championship form” as they played Game 1 against the FEU Lady Tamaraws.
Adamson got off to a strong start by taking the opening set, but the Lady Tamaraws looked poised to bounce back in the second after racing to a commanding 21-14 lead. Refusing to back down, Adamson’s captain Shaina Nitura led a spirited comeback, scoring in bunches as the Lady Falcons erased the deficit and snatched the frame for a crucial 2-0 advantage.
FEU refused to go down easily, taking the third set as Gerz Petallo and Kyle Pendon gave life to the Lady Tamaraws to stay in the contest.
The fourth set turned into a nail-biter, but when it mattered most, Frances Mordi rose to the occasion, hammering in four key points to stop the Lady Tamaraws’ late rally led by Lovely Lopez.
With FEU’s defense collapsing on Mordi, Nitura closed out the game with a powerful kill that sealed the match after two hours and one minute of play.
FINAL SCORES = Set 1: 25-18, Set 2: 26-24, Set 3: 25-23, Set 4: 25-23
Nitura, the team’s leader and offensive anchor, unleashed a stellar 30-point performance built on 29 attacks. She also added 12 digs and 18 excellent receptions while playing a key defensive role late in the match.
Mordi provided solid support with 21 points, many coming in clutch moments of the fourth set, while setter Fhei Sagaysay orchestrated the offense with 22 excellent sets and four points, including a well-timed 1-2 play that shifted momentum back to Adamson’s side.
Looking ahead to Game 2, Coach JP Yude of Adamson stressed the importance of maintaining focus:
“Kailangan lang hindi kami magpabaya on how we play sa second game. Kailangan pa rin naming trabahuhin talaga,”
He also praised the team’s total effort
“Praise God for the win; dahil talaga ‘to kay Lord and sa hard work ng mga bata,”
“I’m pleased with how they played na kahit ‘yung lamang ‘yung kalaban, pero, at the same time kasi tinatrabaho amin ‘yan.
“Sa practice, ginagawa naming ‘yan na kung paano kung down tayo ng five points. So, at least na-apply nila during the game. And na-appreciate ko ginawa nila ngayon and I’m proud of them.”
The Lady Falcons are now just one win away from clinching their first-ever V-League crown and their first title in a Sports Vision-backed event since the 2019 PVL Collegiate Conference.
Game 2 of the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge is on October 8 (Wednesday), 2:00 PM at Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite City.
Nitura and 3 Other Lady Falcons Headline the Awarding Ceremony
Before the action of Game 1, Shaina Nitura already took the spotlight in the Awarding Ceremony along with other Lady Falcons who were Abegail Segui and Felicity “Fhei” Sagaysay.
Super Shai earns the Most Valuable Player of the entire tournament.
The new member of Alas Pilipinas finished as the second-highest scorer in the women’s division, tallying 119 points composed of 107 attacks, six blocks, and six aces. Her all-around play saw her place among the top 10 in multiple categories: second in spiking (40.84% success rate), seventh in receiving (39.09% efficiency), and ninth in digging (1.88 per set).
The 20-year-old outside hitter from Cainta, Rizal, proved to be the heart of Adamson’s undefeated campaign, showing remarkable consistency on both ends of the court.
Fhei gets awarded as The Best Setter and Segui as Best Opposite Spiker.
Completing the lineup were FEU’s Gerzel Petallo (Best Outside Spiker) and Jaz Ellarina (Best Middle Blocker), CSB’s Zam Nolasco (Best Middle Blocker), and Arellano’s Harem Ceballos (Best Libero).
Petallo impressed with 97 points on 81 attacks, 11 aces, and five blocks, topping the league in receiving (50.70%) while ranking third in serving (0.37 per set) and eighth in spiking (34.04%).
Segui was the most efficient attacker of the tournament with a 43.57% spiking rate, totaling 74 points, while Nolasco and Ellarina dominated the net as the top two blockers of the competition.
Sagaysay led all setters with 5.71 excellent sets per frame and was second in serving, while Ceballos stood out defensively, placing third in digging (2.63 per set).
