Adamson University made the right plays down the stretch to outlast the University of Santo Tomas, 27-25, 25-20, 26-24, and grab a share of third place in the tight UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Tournament Final Four race on Saturday evening at Filoil Centre.

Similar to their first-round upset of the Golden Tigresses last March 7, the Lady Falcons once again leaned on the offensive firepower of Shaina Nitura and Nigerian wing spiker Frances Mordi to strengthen their postseason push with two games remaining in the elimination round.

The crucial victory lifted Adamson into a tie for third place with UST, as both teams hold identical 7-5 win-loss records, ahead of fellow Final Four contenders Far Eastern University (6-5) and the University of the Philippines (5-6). The Lady Falcons also hold the tiebreaker over the Golden Tigresses after sweeping both head-to-head meetings in the preliminaries.

Adamson looks to further strengthen its bid to end a two-year postseason drought when it faces UP this Wednesday, April 15, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

Meanwhile, UST—playing without head coach Shaq delos Santos due to Cignal’s semifinal clash against Farm Fresh in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference—aims to revive its Final Four bid in a second-round matchup against UP on Sunday, April 19, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

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Adamson University used a six-run fourth inning to hold off the University of Santo Tomas, 12–6, moving into solo third place with their fourth win of the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Baseball tournament on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Trailing by just one run after two innings, the Soaring Falcons’ bats came alive in the fourth. Four hits produced six runs, extending their lead to 10–3.

Kurt Cabanillas started the rally with a single to left field, and a throwing error by Irvin Llave allowed James Nisnisan to score the first run. Leonel Matanguihan followed with a two-RBI double to left-center, bringing home Cabanillas and Nisnisan. Back-to-back hits from Kean Matanguihan and Ivan Jonson added four more runs to close the inning.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

“Yun nga ang sabi ko sa kanila, na sana ‘tong second round kailangang manalo tayo sa lahat ng remaining games na ‘to para makaakyat tayo sa [standings]. Gano’n naman, nakapag-deliver rin, same as last game namin, na more ‘yung hits and at the same time, ‘yung pitcher ko nakapag-hold. Kaya, ito, medyo ok naman ang result,” said head coach Lando Binarao.

Leonel Matanguihan’s two-RBI double led Adamson’s offense, which produced 11 hits in total, with catcher Mark Simbajon contributing three.

Rookie pitcher Christian Basa held the San Marcelino side in check, allowing only two earned runs on three hits over 5.2 innings before turning the game over to Nisnisan, who closed it out with a strikeout.

The Soaring Falcons will face a tough National University Bulldogs team, coming off back-to-back losses, in Wednesday’s second game of the tournament, which is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Binarao, however, is confident his squad can handle the challenge if they maintain their current form.

“Same lang rin naman ‘yung gusto kong mangyari. Sabi ko nga, itong second round, kung ganyan ang ilalaro natin sa NU, mananalo tayo sa NU. Wala namang imposible do’n kung ganito naman magiging performance nila,” added the concurrent national team head coach.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

UST once again finished with double-digit hits, led by Cedrick Marquez, who had three hits and two RBIs. The España-based squad, however, committed seven errors.

The Golden Sox slipped to a 2–5 record, sharing fifth and sixth places with the University of the Philippines.

UST will face De La Salle University in the final game of Wednesday’s tripleheader.

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With two games remaining in the elimination round, the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Basketball Final Four is officially set.

National University Nazareth School and De La Salle Zobel secured victories on Wednesday afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City, joining Far Eastern University-Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University in the post-season.

The Junior Archers defeated the Adamson University Baby Falcons, 71-59. On the other hand, the Bullpups claimed an 80-73 win over the University of the East Junior Warriors.

The Bullpups are making their 14th straight Final Four appearance since 2009.

“Proud ako sa mga bata dahil hindi nga naging maganda yung simula namin, pero tinrabaho nila ito para makaabot kami ulit sa Final Four,” said Bullpups head coach Kevin De Castro, who has never missed a Final Four since taking the helm in UAAP Season 85.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Meanwhile, the Junior Archers return to the Final Four for the first time since Season 79 (2017).

“This means a lot. Sabi ko nga sa kanila, just going into this game, my emotions were all over the place. To be in this situation again na mabigyan kami ng opportunity to make the Final Four does not only mean a lot to me, but it also means a lot to coach Boris [Aldeguer],” said new Junior Archers head coach Gian Nazario.

“Aldeguer was really the architect of this program, and just to be given a chance to handle the team for him and for the program of Zobel, it means a lot na nadala ko ulit yung school sa Final Four,” he added, noting his role as lead deputy to Green Archers coach Topex Robinson.

Earlier, FEU-Diliman and Ateneo had already secured their semifinal spots with wins over University of the Philippines Integrated School (103-52) and University of Santo Tomas (90-83), respectively.

The Bullpups (10-2), the Baby Tamaraws (10-2), and the Blue Eagles (9-3) are still battling for the twice-to-beat advantages.

NUNS played one man short against UE as Mot Matias served a one-game suspension for incurring his second unsportsmanlike foul during their 92-60 win over UPIS last Saturday.

In Matias’ absence, Chad Cartel stepped up with 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.

“Very happy [and] gusto ko magpasalamat kay Lord kasi binigyan kami ng test and challenge this game. Sabi ko nga sa kanila, siguro tinetest tayo ni Lord dahil wala si Mot, pero nagawan namin ng paraan dahil this team is full of surprises,” de Castro said.

“Kumbaga, wala si Mot, pero hindi namin naramdaman na wala siya dahil ang daming nag-step up. Very proud ako kasi yung captain ball ko in Chad, nag-deliver today,” he added.

Holding a slim 40-36 halftime lead, NUNS intensified its attack in the third quarter with an 11-2 run. Two consecutive inside hits from Cartel and returning Malian center Moussa Diakite pushed the lead to 51-38 with 5:46 left in the frame.

The Bullpups ended the third quarter with a 63-51 cushion and widened the gap in the fourth with a 9-3 run. A four-point spurt from Cartel and a triple from Miekho Natinga built an 18-point lead at 72-54 with under seven minutes remaining.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

UE responded with a 15-4 run led by Jamal Diaz, Ethan Aguas, and Sizco Roquid, narrowing the gap to 76-69 with 41 seconds left. But Corian Cabantog and Rob Celiz sealed the win with perfect free throws.

Diakite, returning from a minor injury, contributed 16 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks, two assists, and one steal. Shaun Lucido added 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Cabantog finished with eight points, six rebounds, and one assist.

Meanwhile, Yusuf Mikailu led DLSZ against Adamson with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 22 rebounds, and six blocks.

Seeking to recover from a sluggish first half, DLSZ regained momentum in the third quarter, scoring 20 points while limiting Adamson to just eight. Key plays included a Mark Borrero layup, a six-point spurt by Maco Dabao, and a Kio Favis layup, turning a 34-36 deficit into a 54-44 lead heading into the final period.

A Mikailu hit, a Dabao layup, and a Jake Alpapara triple extended DLSZ’s lead to 67-52 with 4:35 remaining, effectively putting the game out of reach and improving their record to 7-5.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

DLSZ’s second-half defense was crucial, holding Adamson to just 6-of-33 shooting after a 14-of-34 first-half performance.

Dabao contributed 15 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, one block, and one assist, while Nino Ferrer had 13 points and one steal. Mark Borrero added eight points, 10 assists, and five rebounds.

UST, UE, and Adamson are tied from fifth to seventh with 4-8 slates.

For UE, Roquid led with 18 points, eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, and one block, while Diaz also had 18 points, plus two rebounds and two assists. Mhico Abellar added 13 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting, and Eoin Braga chipped in seven points, three rebounds, and one block.

Adamson, missing the Final Four for the first time since Season 80 (2018), was led by Jarl Artango with 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Then Rookie guard Fran Flores added 12 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.

The Scores:

Third Game:

DLSZ (71) – Mikailu 21, Dabao 15, Ferrer 13, Borrero 8, Favis 6, Atienza 5, Alpapara 3, Arejola 0, Llamas 0, Dimayuga 0, Luna 0.

AdU (59) – Artango 20, Flores 12, Frogoso 6, Jenodia 5, Bautista 4, Matillano 4, Garcia 3, Gomez 2, Babad 2, Alcartado 1.

Quarterscores: 15-19, 34-36, 54-44, 71-59.

Fourth Game:

NUNS (80) – Cartel 24, Lucido 16, Diakite 16, Cabantog 8, Figueroa 7, Celiz 2, Tulabut 2, Bouzina 2, Juan 0, Matias 0, Timbang 0.

UE (73) – Roquid 18, Diaz 18, Abellar 13, Braga 7, Aguas 6, Edoukou 5, Lorenzo 4, Oraa 2, Timbol 0, Bual 0, Delos Reyes 0, Orca 0.

Quarterscores: 22-21, 40-36, 63-51, 80-73.

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