De La Salle University star spiker Angel Canino showed her true worth after lending a big hand to their straight sets win over Adamson University for their first victory in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.

Canino, the UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, delivered a stellar performance with 15 points, countering the efforts of Adamson’s rising star Shaina Nitura, who tallied 16 points.

La Salle proved too much for Adamson as the Taft-based team pulled off 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 win over the weekend at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

La Salle was beaten by defending champion National University in its first outing, marking the first time in over a decade that La Salle lost their first game of the UAAP season.

Instead of being alarmed, Canino swears the setback was an opportunity for all the players to rethink about this season’s campaign.

“Actually, I’ve learned a lot because, of course, coming into the UAAP, we usually win our first game. But this season, it was the other way around. We also gained a lot of lessons from that loss. It gave us many realizations, both as a team and as individuals.”

“Those lessons helped us reset and gradually rebuild the confidence we once had.”

The loss against NU served as motivation for La Salle to move forward with veteran leader Alleiah Malaluan emphasizing the importance of focusing on the next challenge instead of dwelling on past defeats.

Canino echoed this mindset.

“Like what Ate Alleiah said, if you keep thinking about losing the first game, it’s hard to move forward and focus on what you can do in the next games.”

“Whatever happened in the first game, we had to stop dwelling on the negative comments we heard or the negative thoughts we had. Instead, we had to focus on how we could improve as a team and as individuals.”

La Salle also had their hands full with Adamson’s super rookie, Shaina Nitura, who proved to be a tough opponent even before the match started.

“Actually, she already gave us a hard time just in the preparations alone. She was tough on us because, as (La Salle) Coach Ramil (De Jesus) said, she has so many variations as a player, and Nitura is incredibly fearless. No matter who she faces, she always finds a way (to score),” Canino said.

“I think she really challenged us, which is why she was one of the players we specifically prepared for coming into this game. I have so much respect for her because she plays with such courage as if she isn’t a rookie.”

With their first win now in the books, La Salle shifts its focus to their next opponent, University of Santo Tomas, on Wednesday.

“As we’ve mentioned, we’re taking it one step at a time and one game at a time. Whatever game preparations we need to make against UST, that’s what we’ll focus on,” Canino said.

“We know that they’re a tough team and that they don’t easily give up on every point, so I think that’s something we also need to work on.” JASON MAGO

As the tournament progresses, the Lady Spikers are determined to prove that one early loss will not define their season.

With Canino leading the charge, La Salle remains a force to be reckoned with in UAAP Season 87. JASON MAGO