The DLSU Lady Spikers went through another game without team captain Shevana Laput, beating Ateneo in four sets in UAAP Season 88 women's volleyball.
The DLSU Lady Spikers are still looking formidable even as they needed four sets to beat the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 25-14, 21-25, 25-15, 25-17, in UAAP Season 88 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, March 1.
La Salle, now 4-0 for the season, once again missed the services of team captain Shevana Laput due to illness.
Still, the Lady Spikers had plenty of scoring to go around, led by former Rookie-MVP Angel Canino.
Canino finished with 21 points, anchoring La Salle to its most challenging game of the season yet.
After the match, Canino reflected on how Lady Spikers have been taught to play as a unit regardless of who’s active or not.
"Actually, kaming mga seniors, hindi namin tinitignan siya as a disadvantage ng team kasi binuo din talaga kami ni Coach Ramil [de Jesus] as a leader talaga, bawa't isa kami,” Canino said during the post-game press conference.
"So, masaya din ako kasi hindi nataranta yung buong team nung nawala si Shevana. Kasi alam nila na kaya namin, or kaya ng mga bata na mag-step up.”
Also stepping up to the challenge was Lilay Del Castillo, who earned Player of the Game honors.
In her best game so far, Del Castillo recorded eight blocks, the most from a Lady Spiker since Celine Hernandez back in 2007. She finished with 18 points in total.
For Canino, her teammates' performance was a testament to La Salle's steady core.
"Binuo din kasi talaga kami ni Coach Ramil as a leader eh, bawa't isa kami. Hindi lang pagiging leader, kundi yung tapang sa loob ng court na kahit patago kami nagpre-season, yung tapang nabuo dun sa loob ng training camp namin and napakita naman namin yun," Canino said.
"Nire-remind din namin yung sarili namin kung may wala, wag na hanapin. Kung sino lang nandiyan, yun lang yung meron tayo and lalaban tayo, kahit sino man yung meron jan,” she added.
The Lady Spikers’ win was their 17th straight against Ateneo, as the Blue Eagles dropped to 0-4 in Season 88.
Ana Hermosura continues to be a bright spot for the Blue Eagles with 18 points in the losing effort.
La Salle will hope to have Laput back for the next game when the Lady Spikers battle the UE Lady Warriors on Saturday, March 7, still at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Meanwhile, Ateneo faces a quick turnaround as the Blue Eagles face the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday, March 4, at the same Quezon City venue.
—
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.