Sophomore middle blocker Lilay del Castillo knew she had to come up with a stellar performance when La Salle faced University of the Philippines (UP) last Sunday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.

For Del Castillo, it was one way of honoring her late mother who would have been 61 on the very same day the Lady Spikers scored a 25-22, 24-26, 25-18, 25-17 win as she posted four blocks, four aces and three attacks for a total of 11 points.

“I’m super happy with my performance today because when I woke up, I told myself I’d dedicate this game to my mom since it’s her birthday,” said Del Castillo after her solid showing at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“I know she always has the best seat in the arena, so I promised myself I’d give my best for my nanay, always.”

Del Castillo lost her mother, Lilian, in December 2023, and since then, she has drawn inspiration from playing in her honor.

The Caloocan native channeled her emotions and hard work from training after La Salle suffered a tough five-set loss to the University of Santo Tomas and a straight-sets defeat to defending champion National University (NU) earlier in the season.

With Sunday’s win, La Salle evened its record at 2-2, with Del Castillo proving her worth as a starting middle blocker.

“Right now, I’m super happy and I gained a lot of confidence from this game.”

The Lady Spikers are now tied with Adamson University, Far Eastern University and UP at third place.

Despite this being La Salle’s worst start since Season 68 in 2006, when they opened with a 1-2 record but still won the championship, Del Castillo remains optimistic.

“But I always aim for more. This could be the standard, but for me, I shouldn’t settle for anything less. I need to keep improving, keep going up with every game and training.”

Del Castillo has steadily progressed under the guidance of veteran head coach Ramil de Jesus. She scored two points in her first game this season against NU, followed by five against Adamson and eight versus UST.

But on this emotional day, Del Castillo delivered her best performance yet, proving that she is a key player for the young Lady Spikers.