The Lady Bullpups of the National University-Nazareth School (NUNS) started their 2026 volleyball calendar season on a high note by winning the 2025 Rebisco Volleyball League (RVL) National and Invitational Finals.
Coming off their UAAP Season 88 girls’ championship victory over Far Eastern University Diliman last Dec. 14, the Lady Bullpups again saw action in the RVL National Capital Region finals on Jan. 9. A day later, they faced the same team in the regional title game and earned the right to represent Metro Manila in the 12-team national finals that began on Jan. 17.
The Lady Bullpups’ road to the national and Invitational finals had the makings of another championship.
NUNS star outside spiker Diza Berayo provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Lady Bullpups’ practice sessions in her vlog, as one of the RVL Student Storytellers tasked to document their team’s journey on and off the court. (The vlogs are shared by the Rebisco Volleyball and RVL Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/RebiscoVolleyballPH.)
In her vlog, Berayo chatted with graduating teammates, captain and setter Rihanna Navarro, libero Atasha Doroja, and outside hitter Akeyla Bartolabac, who all expressed excitement over their last opportunity to play in the RVL National Finals.
She also asked coach Ray Karl Dimaculangan about his goals for the team as they headed into the finals with just four days of training.
Dimaculangan listed these goals for the team: victory at the Rebisco Nationals, gaining momentum for future tournaments, and learning from their experiences.
And the Lady Bullpups checked all those boxes as they reclaimed the RVL throne after winning their first in the 2022 edition of the Philippines’ biggest 18-and-under girls’ volleyball tournament, now backed by top insurance provider Allianz.
NUNS dethroned Bacolod Tay Tung in the national title game, 25-15, 29-27, 25-20, last Jan. 22, ending Bacolod’s two-year reign and taking home the ₱100,000 prize. (The losing finalist got ₱50,000.)
Facing off again in the invitational finals title game two days later, NUNS made sure its conquest of the Western Visayas champion was no fluke as the Lady Bullpups posted another straight-sets win, 25-23, 26-24, 25-15, to complete a nine-game sweep of both tournaments this season.
Malaysia’s Sarawak Volleyball Association bagged the bronze medal in the four-team invitational finals after a 25-20, 25-22, 25-12 victory over Perfect Set, a fellow guest team made up of Filipino American spikers in the United States.
De la Salle Lipa, on the other hand, shrugged off a slow start to survive University of San Jose-Recoletos, 21-5, 25-22, 25-11, 25-21 in the national finals battle for third place for a ₱25,000 prize.
Davao City National High School, the only team to win a set against NUNS in the national finals, rounded out the Top 5 teams. Iligan City National High School, California Academy, Holy Trinity College, Linao National High School, and Immaculate Conception Academy bagged the sixth to 10th spots, respectively.
Bacolod may have lost its championship, but the Western Visayas champion still paraded some of the best individual players after Rhose Viane Almendralejo was crowned National Finals MVP to lead the national and invitational awardees.
The 5-foot-9 outside hitter later also bannered the 2025 RVL Select 21, a compilation of the tournament’s best players in each position who will have a chance to undergo valuable training camp and practice with the Rebisco flagship professional clubs, Creamline Cool Smashers and Choco Mucho Flying Titans.
Rebisco (Republic Biscuit Corp.), through its sports marketing arm Action Republic Corp., is dedicated to advancing volleyball in the Philippines. With initiatives such as the Rebisco Volleyball League and Rebisco Volleyball Academy, Action Republic supports the development of the sport across all levels—from grassroots and high school to college, professional, and the national team.
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