Canino praises, preaches patience picked up from Alas
Besides the hard work they put in the offseason, La Salle’s 12-time champion coach Ramil De Jesus believes the Alas Pilipinas stint of Angel Canino and Amie Provido helped the Lady Spikers level up their game, leading to an early success in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.
Even without leading scorer and captain Shevana Laput, who was under the weather, Canino and Provido led the balanced attack with 12 and 11 points, respectively, as La Salle swept the University of the Philippines in the battle of unbeaten squads, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19, for a 3-0 record on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Maybe it’s really because of our training. We worked so hard for this season,” De Jesus said. “I think my players have matured a lot. It also helped that Angel and Amie were able to play with Alas and they’ve shared their international experience with the team.”
Patience was the biggest thing that the Alas Pilipinas experience taught Canino and she has been preaching that to her teammates.
“At the international level, you have to be patient with yourself because you won’t be able to score on every play,” Canino told the Inquirer in Filipino.
Canino, who was the Best Outside Spiker in Alas’ silver medal finish in the AVC Women’s Cup last year, said that while La Salle hasn’t dropped a set this season, things are far from perfect for the Lady Spikers.
But through patience, Canino and her teammates have kept themselves unscathed, rolling past contenders Far Eastern University, University of Santo Tomas and UP.
“[Everything is] really about patience … Even though we’ve won three straight games, not everything that happens is always positive or easy,” said Canino, who also saw action in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December and the past four bronze finishes in the SEA V.League since 2024
“So even in training, we need to be patient with ourselves. If we want to keep winning, we have to stay patient with everything that happens inside the court.”
Also key to La Salle’s early success is teamwork, with rookie Eshana Nunag stepping up significantly as the main setter, showcasing impressive playmaking in their first three games.
Mikee Santos, who filled in the big shoes of Laput, also delivered 10 points in her sudden UAAP debut.
“I think it really boils down to teamwork. As a senior, I can see that everyone truly wants to contribute something positive to the team. It’s about not being selfish—it’s about finding any way to help. And that’s what’s good about it, because that mindset leads to wins,” said Canino, who was named Rookie-MVP during her first year in the UAAP.
With still a long way to go from their goal to end a two-year drought, the senior urges the team to continue living up to the values and winning tradition that the Lady Spikers have built through the years, as they face winless Ateneo next on Sunday.
“Maybe it’s really about having that one-game-at-a-time mindset. We just want to bring back the values of being a Lady Spiker, how we play, how we give our all and how we represent and define ourselves as Lady Spikers … on the court,” she said.
