Record-smashing first season is just the start for Nitura
Shaina Nitura holds the record for most points in a game, most points in a season and most 30-point games in one UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
And that’s just her rookie season.
The tenacious Adamson star is all pumped up for her sophomore year in the country’s biggest varsity league, where she hopes to translate her Rookie of the Year honors into something bigger for herself and the program she represents.
“This will add to my confidence for the upcoming season,” Nitura said after receiving her trophy.
If that confidence translates into a better performance, the league is in trouble.
This season, the 20-year-old outside hitter finished with the most points by a rookie on her way to a league-leading 371 points built on 333 spikes, 25 blocks and 13 aces.
Nitura introduced herself to the collegiate ranks with a 33-point debut that broke the rookie scoring record. She then claimed the single-game scoring record from legendary ex-Ateneo star Alyssa Valdez and former University of Santo Tomas ace Sisi Rondina with 38 points in a losing stand against University of the Philippines.
She also had five 30-point games scattered around the season, each making people take notice.
“I think she’ll be even better than me,” Valdez previously told the Inquirer. “She’s a more rounded player compared to me when I was a rookie at Ateneo. She’s destined for even greater things.”
Better finish
“Coach Ramil [de Jesus] said that [Nitura] has a lot of attacking variations and she is so brave that whoever you put in front of her she can find a way to adjust,” Angel Canino, who also had a smashing rookie year, said.
“I guess it’s already given that Nitura can score that many points,” UP coach Benson Bocboc said.
Nitura, plucked by the national pool, will build on her freshman success as she hopes to give Adamson a better finish next season. The Lady Falcons missed the Final Four in Season 87.
“What we can promise to Adamson is to continue working so that we become better compared to this season,” Nitura said after claiming her first individual award on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
It’s a scary thought for opponents to think that there is a better version of Nitura waiting to take charge next season. But that’s what exactly other UAAP programs will have to deal with.
“[I]t’s back to zero so we’ll continue to work both for the UAAP and upcoming potential experiences. Our goal, like every team, is to be better than the previous season,” Nitura said.
