Canino cleared as La Salle renews bitter Ateneo feud
Angel Canino took a hard fall last Saturday, but La Salle’s star outside hitter is back on her feet—just in time for a rivalry showdown with high stakes.
Cleared to play after a collision with teammate Shevana Laput, Canino is set to lead the Lady Spikers anew against Ateneo on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum in a return match that packs hefty implications.
The first serve is at 1 p.m. with La Salle, at 6-3, hoping to extend its mastery of its bitter rivals and clip the wings of resurgent Lady Blue Eagles before they even become an actual threat in the Final Four race.
“However we’ve prepared our previous assignments, we’ll prepare for Ateneo the same way,” La Salle deputy coach Noel Orcullo said. “We’ll take nothing for granted and just focus on how to stop Ateneo.”
With a three-game winning streak and boasting a 4-5 record, the Lady Eagles have replenished their belief in themselves and are now setting their sights on the Final Four currently crowded by reigning champion National University, La Salle, Far Eastern, and University of Santo Tomas.
“If we can improve match by match, we’ll have a chance to be in the top four. And we will fight for that,” coach Sergio Veloso said.
Lyann De Guzman echoed her coach’s message, emphasizing the need for consistency at a time when teams have less and less room for error.
“We can’t afford to relax even after our winning streak,” she said. “We should have the mindset that those games are done, and we have to move forward.
“Of course, we know La Salle won’t give up just like that. School pride is at stake. And we want to win, too. It’s going to be a competitive game.”
