ANGEL Canino has been absent from two consecutive matches for the De La Salle Lady Spikers due to a suspected injury to her right arm sustained during the Holy Week break last month.
While specifics regarding Canino's injury remain limited, deputy coach Noel Orcullo of La Salle has clarified one aspect regarding the current condition of the reigning UAAP women's volleyball MVP: her recovery is heading in the right direction.
READ: New details on Canino 'freak accident' raise hope of early return
"Du’n nga sa last interview sa’kin, (sinabi ko na) she was being monitored day-by-day. Hopefully, mag-heal na agad. She’s starting (to make progress) naman na, nag-tetherapy na siya — ‘yung kamay niya," Orcullo said.
"Tignan lang natin kung hanggang kailan ‘yung healing nu’n."
Unlike her first sighting with the team roughly a week ago since the mid-round break, Canino no longer wore an arm sling when she entered the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday.
However, her right forearm was still protected by a smaller cast which was covered by a long-sleeved La Salle sweatshirt as she joined the rest of the Lady Spikers from the bench.
Still no 'I' in team
Following a major scare from cellar-dwelling University of the East in five sets, Shevana Laput, one of their top scorers alongside Canino, emphasized the importance for the remaining 13 Lady Spikers, including herself, to demonstrate that the defending champions are not solely reliant on one player. This is particularly crucial in the race for the twice-to-beat bonuses, which is anticipated to be closely contested.
"With Angel (Canino) gone like I said before, there’s 13 of us who need to step up. Gradually, we’re doing that but this isn’t our peak. We’re still on working on ourselves, mastering ourselves as players," Laput said.
"Of course, you can expect a lot more from us because like coach said, that was a bad win. Still a win but there’s so much more we could’ve done better."
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