University of Santo Tomas trounced fellow UAAP bet La Salle-Zobel, 25-16, 25-20, to stretch its unbeaten run in the 2024 Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Under-18 Championship on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.

The Junior Golden Tigresses thus zoomed to a solo lead in Pool A with a 3-0 won-lost record, joining Pool B leader National U (3-0) as the only unbeaten team in the 12-team girls’ division of the first youth tourney by the PNVF headed by President Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

It took UST only 54 minutes to seize yet another easy victory after clobbering Kings’ Montessori School, 25-16, 25-23, and Limitless Sports Center, 25-8, 25-9. La Salle-Zobel slid to 0-2.

Over in Pool B, La Salle-Lipa (3-1) bounced back from its first loss against NU by smothering winless Parañaque City (0-2), 25-16, 25-21.

San Juan Institute of Technology-Batangas (2-1) also moved up in Pool B with a pesky 25-20, 26-24 win over Colegio de Los Baños (0-2). 

In the boys’ play, Taytay, Rizal (2-0) bested Colegio de Los Baños (0-2), 25-20, 25-23, to gain a piece of Pool B leadership with Umingan, Pangasinan (2-0). 

La Salle Lipa, for its part, kept the Pool A lead at 2-0 after a 25-16, 25-21 win over the debuting Golden Whiskers Club (0-1) while the Philippine Christian University (2-1) carved out a 25-21,19-25, 25-11 win over the Batangas Christian School (0-2) in the same group. 

UST (3-0) will try to maintain a perfect campaign in Pool A on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. against the Gracel Christian College (1-1) as four winless squads go at it for a breakthrough win in the other two girls’ matches.

La Salle-Zobel (0-2) and Limitless Sports Center (0-3) battle in Pool A at 10 a.m. as Colegio de Los Baños (0-3) and Parañaque City (0-2) clash at 1 p.m. in Pool B. 

Meanwhile, undefeated squads Umingan, Pangasinan and Taytay, Rizal dispute the Pool B lead at 4 p.m. to banner the boys’ division Sunday slate as Hemorsa, Bataan (1-1) and Colegio de Los Baños (0-2) collide in the same group at 2:30 p.m.

Capping it off is the duel between Angatleta Sports Bataan (1-0) and Canossa Academy-Lipa (1-1) in Pool A at 6 p.m.