LA Salle missed out on a UAAP women’s volleyball finals appearance for only the fifth time in multi-titled coach Ramil de Jesus’ 27-year tenure back in Season 86.
Newly-minted team captain Angel Canino aims to rectify last year’s lapses and lead the Lady Spikers to the right side of history in its Season 87 title-reclamation bid.
READ La Salle UAAP 87 PREVIEW: Lots of questions for Lady Spikers - and Canino is No. 1 answer
While some might doubt the once-indubitable La Salle women’s volleyball dynasty amid National University’s recent reign of dominance, Canino refuses to entertain naysayers as she’s only holding on to their most important believers: themselves.
“Sobrang bigat ng pinagdaanan ng team (last season) kaya ngayon, kahit anumang pagdadaanan pa, walang bibitaw sa amin,” Canino said.
“Mas magiging strong pa ‘yung bond namin at ‘yung communication namin sa loob kahit ang dami na naming pinagdaanan. Kahit parang ang dami nang hindi naniniwala sa’min, dapat bawat isa sa’min. may tiwala pa rin."
Adding fuel to her personal fire in her third year as a Lady Spiker is her untimely absence midway through their bronze-medal campaign in Season 86.
The then-reigning UAAP MVP suffered an undisclosed right forearm injury on her spiking hand that forced her to sit out five games midway through the elimination round.
Canino wants none of that drama and trouble anymore this year.
“Marami po akong games na nawala (last season) so for me talaga, ayoko nang mangyari ulit na hindi po ako makapag-contribute sa team, na nandun lang ako sa gilid,” she said.
“Malaking hugot po ‘yun kasi ang goal talaga namin as a Lady Spiker, as a team po talaga and ng mga coaches is mag-champion po lagi.
“Hindi naman mabigat sa puso namin kahit nag-bronze po kami (last season) pero we'll try na taasan po ‘yung level na meron na po kami ngayon and we'll try na maging best (versions) po ng sarili namin para this coming Season 87."
Rebuilding a dynasty
Stars and players will always come and go, including a handful of Lady Spikers mainstays by the end of last season in Thea Gagate, Leila Cruz and Julia Coronel among others.
As has been the case with the RDJ's brand of La Salle volleyball over the last two decades, do expect the Taft Towers to still come and fight with everything they've got.
"'Yung nawala last year (sa team), malaki 'yun. Ilan din sa first six 'yung nawala tapos mga senior pa," Lady Spikers deputy coach Noel Orcullo said.
"Malaking impact pa rin sa'min 'yun kahit every year, ganun 'yung nangyayari. Since Season 85, marami nang nawala sa'min kaya talagang malaking adjustments 'yung ginagawa namin.
"'Yun namang mga bata na pinapalit namin sa mga (nabakanteng) positions nila, nagre-respond naman sa kung ano 'yung gusto naming makita sa kanila."
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