Manila: Defending champion National University (NU) and the University of Santo Tomas (UST) scored contrasting wins Tuesday to reach the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup semifinal round. Open spiker Celine Marsh delivered 23 points off 21 attacks and two blocks as the Lady Bulldogs prevailed over the San Beda University Lady Red Spikers, 26-24, 25-27, 25-18, 25-16.

According to Philippines News Agency, Marsh led the charge in the absence of key players Sam Cantada and Denesse Daylisan, who are competing at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain. Marsh commented on the team’s performance, stating, “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.”

Abegail Pono contributed 12 points to the victory, while Alexa Mata and Myrtle Escanlar added 11 points each. Chams Maaya also supported the team with 10 points. Veteran setter Lams Lamin played a crucial role by dishing out 19 excellent sets. On the opposing side, Angel Habacon scored 17 points for the Lady Red Spikers.

In another match, Regina Jurado and Xyza Gula scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, as UST defeated Ateneo de Manila University with scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-21, securing their place in the Final Four for the fourth consecutive season. Faye Nisperos and Ana Hermosura were the top scorers for Ateneo, finishing with nine and seven points, respectively, as the team faced its sixth consecutive loss.

NU and UST now enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage for topping their respective pools after the second round. NU will face the winner between Far Eastern University and University of the Philippines, while UST will meet the winner between Adamson University and College of Saint Benilde.