Angel Canino has quite the list for her top UAAP players, with the Season 85 Rookie-MVP making sure to include a rival-turned-ally.
For those who follow UAAP volleyball, former Rookie-MVP Angel Canino can definitely be considered as a generational talent.
But before she made a name for herself as a UAAP champion with De La Salle, Canino also had her own set of trailblazers that paved the way for how her career transpired.
Now looking to add to her Lady Spikers legacy, Canino opened up about the players that helped shape the way she conducts herself on and off the court.
[RELATED: How Angel Canino made herself a better leader for La Salle in UAAP Season 88]
Speaking to One Sports, the La Salle ace named her top UAAP players.
“Syempre, number one si Ate Ara. Ate Ara Galang,” Canino gushed about her fellow Lady Spiker.
“Si Ate Ara, si Ate Jia [de Guzman], Ate Alyssa [Valdez], Ate Sisi [Rondina], Ate Eya [Laure], at saka si Ate Bella Belen.”
Canino found it difficult to name just five — saying that she looked up to multiple players.
Still, a curious choice ended up being Bella Belen, who is Canino's UAAP contemporary and Finals rival for two title series.
Of course, Belen and Canino also share quite the history, being the first and second Rookie-MVP winners in UAAP women's volleyball history, respectively.
While their rivalry was forged through intense battles for the UAAP title, Canino and Belen's story also intertwine now as anchors for Alas Pilipinas Women, seen as both the present and the future of the national team.
Their journey as both friends and rivals means that Canino can never leave Belen out her list for top UAAP players.
The NU star's impact as the first Rookie-MVP directly had an impact to Canino's own rise as the second to achieve such honor.
“Sorry nasobrahan ng isa [yung list ko], pero mahirap talaga kasi sila talaga yung nilo-look up [to] ko rin ever since na sumali din ako at nakita ko rin yung UAAP. Kasi sobrang galing po talaga nila,” Canino said.
“Hindi lang din talaga sa paglalaro, hindi lang sa skills, kundi gaano rin sila katapang maglaro,” she added.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.