Near perfect
La Salle’s last shot at a perfect UAAP season ended in heartbreak—and some members of that squad were around on Wednesday to help this batch of Lady Spikers keep their unbeaten run intact.
“It wasn’t like they were telling us exactly what to do to avoid those kinds of heartbreaks,” Angel Canino, the La Salle star hitter, said. “It was more about motivating us, reminding us that we can do it, that they’re there to support us, and that they believe in us.”
Canino and her teammates took the first step toward deleting that old memory.
Shaking off the effects of a 17-day hiatus, La Salle moved a game closer to a perfect title run after blanking defending champion National University, 25-23, 25-18, 25-18, in Game 1 of the Season 88 women’s volleyball best-of-three championship series at Mall of Asia Arena.
A win in Saturday’s Game 2 will not only end a three-year drought but also cap La Salle’s unblemished run to the crown.
On a day of slaying ghosts, Canino fired 17 points in the dominant victory, which came amid memories of the last time the Lady Spikers were in contention for a perfect season.
That was in Season 76, when the Taft-based school swept its way to an outright title berth, only to be waylaid by fierce rival Ateneo and a young rising star named Alyssa Valdez.
“Season 76 was a nightmare. It still haunts the team. Back then, we swept the eliminations with Aby (Maraño) still leading the team, but Ateneo fought all the way in the finals,” coach Ramil de Jesus recalled.
CJ Saga and Lexi Tatlonghari, who played for De Jesus that season, were present to cheer on the current Lady Spikers.
“It makes a big difference when former Lady Spikers—our ates (older sisters)—come up to us and show that kind of trust. We really appreciate it because, as players, we tend to overthink sometimes. So when they tell us, ‘We’re here, we believe in you,’ it means a lot and really helps us.”
De Jesus doubled down on the lessons from that season to make sure his current team understood the task at hand.
“I told them I don’t want that to happen again. Every year, we prepare for whoever the defending champion is. Now we’re back in this situation … Not everyone gets this opportunity, so we have to make the most of it,” he said.
Because of its eliminations sweep, La Salle had to wait 17 days before seeing action again, as teams had to play a stepladder semifinals for the right to face the Lady Spikers in the championship.
But after getting through a testy first set, it was clear La Salle did not have to deal with rust as they moved closer to their 13th championship.
“I told the team that the stepladder format is [also] tough [for us] because the other teams get … used to the pressure while we’re resting,” said De Jesus.
“So I told the players we just have to match that intensity. Earlier, I noticed we started a bit slow, but later in the set we adjusted and kept up. By then, they were handling the pressure better.”
Shane Reterta also delivered the goods for La Salle with 11 points, 23 receptions and nine digs. Amie Provido finished with 12 points, highlighted by four kill blocks, as captain Shevana Laput finished with 11 points.
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