By el Amigo
MANILA — National University staged a remarkable comeback to capture the V-League Collegiate Challenge men’s title, overcoming Far Eastern University in a five-set thriller and preventing the Tamaraws from completing a three-peat.
The Bulldogs rallied from a two-set deficit to prevail, 23-26, 19-25, 30-28, 25-21, 16-14, in Sunday’s decisive Game 3 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
NU was down 16-22 in the third set but fought back to extend the match. The Bulldogs then overcame another major deficit in the fifth, where FEU held championship point at 14-11.
A successful video challenge on an apparent winning attack exposed a net violation by FEU’s Dryx Saavedra, giving NU another chance to stay alive.
Rookie RK Medino made the most of it, scoring three of the Bulldogs’ final four points to clinch the championship and end the school’s title drought dating back to 2022.
Medino led NU with 25 points, all from attacks. Michaelo Buddin contributed 18 points, while Finals MVP Jade Disquitado tallied 17 points and 24 excellent receptions.
Saavedra led FEU with 27 points, while Amet Bituin and Kyle Tandoc added 17 each.
NU took Game 1 in straight sets, but FEU bounced back in Game 2 to force the winner-take-all showdown.
Both teams qualified for the Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference after finishing as the top two squads in the collegiate competition.
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