SJI, OLS, sweeps U18 SSL elims, blazes into semifinals

St. Joseph Institute (SJI)-Bacolod and One La Salle punched their tickets to the semifinals of the 2026 Shakey’s Super League Juniors National Invitationals after defeating Premiere Volleyball Academy (PVA) and Arellano University High School (AUHS), respectively, at the Playtime FilOil Centre, July 16.

The Falcons leaned on their balanced attack, with Kristel May Mirasol scoring six points and Caera Celis adding four in the opening set to set the tone for a 25–17, 25–11 victory that secured the No. 2 seed entering the semifinals.

“Natutuhan po namin na maging consistent at sundin lang po ang payo ng mga coach namin at huwag pong bumaba ang morale namin,” said Mirasol, who earned Player of the Game honors after finishing with eight points, all on attacks.

SJI continued to pour on the pressure in the second set as Celis and Edz Escultura sparked an early 8–2 run.

PVA did little to help its cause, committing four errors—including two service errors—as SJI stretched the lead to 15–5 behind consecutive kills from Eileen Yanson.

The Falcons put the finishing touches on the match with another 4–0 run before Lexie Tiu sealed the victory with a crosscourt kill.

Meanwhile, One La Salle bounced back from its loss to UST the previous day, defeating Arellano, 26–24, 25–18, to clinch the No. 3 seed.

Aislynn Alemaña paced One La Salle with 15 points, highlighted by 14 attacks and a block, helping her squad survive a tightly contested opening set.

Both teams traded blows in the first frame, tallying 16 attack points and six errors apiece, but One La Salle gained the upper hand with three blocks compared to Arellano’s one.

One La Salle maintained its composure in the second set, collecting 18 attack points while capitalizing on Arellano’s eight errors to close out the match in straight sets.

SJI will face One La Salle in the semifinals, while the University of Santo Tomas will take on Arellano University High School on July 17.