Pelaez, UST overcome SJI for SSL Juniors Nat’l Invitationals title

In need of rescue, young gun Nicole Pelaez heeded the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Junior Golden Tigresses’ call to stave off a gritty St. Joseph Institute (SJI)-Bacolod side in a 25–19, 25–23, 23–25, 18–25, 19–17 thriller and lift the 2026 Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals crown at the FilOil Centre in San Juan City, July 18.

Down to a 7–12 hole in the decider, the 16-year-old Pelaez turned red-hot at the perfect time, spearheading a five-point run and never looking back to dismantle what was left of the Falcons’ hope of an upset and notch a pristine 8–0 slate for the Tigresses.

The Tagum City-born exploded for a whopping 27-point night on 24 attacks, more than enough for her to clinch the MVP of the match title.

“Ang turning point ay nung 12-8 (sa fifth set). Nag-iba ang body language ng mga players namin. Pero ‘yun talaga sa fifth set kung sino ang mas gustong manalo at lalaban sa kanya mapupunta ang panalo,” shared UST head coach Yani Fernandez.

Pelaez proved herself early after breaking a 15-all knot in the first set, dishing three consecutive points to ignite a 10-4 run and secure a much-needed momentum booster.

However, the Espana-based spikers saw a commanding lead unravel late as SJI’s timely service aces erased a five-point cushion in the second canto, 24–23, where Jyrah Romais’ block slammed the door shut on a deuce.

Tempo continued to slide down in the third and fourth frames, where a mix of errors and a hell-bent Falcons middleblocker Dannica Celis spelled disaster for the Tigresses and forced a do-or-die rubber set.

Poise took over the Tigresses in the final stretch as consecutive offensive woes marred the Bacolod natives, 17–17, where Pelaez sent her proverbial spike home, followed by an error by Kristel Marisol to seal the deal. 

Andreaj Bing powered the Tigresses’ offense with 20 excellent sets, while Jyrah Romias and Manzanillo combined for 31 markers.

Meanwhile, Celis, dropping a night-high of 28 points, concluded her campaign on a bittersweet note as she received the Best Open Hitter award.

With the win, the Junior Tigresses claimed their second-ever SSL crown, following another unbeaten championship run at the Rising Stars Cup last May where they defeated a renowned Bacolod Tay Tung squad in the finals.