IF you think of names like Bella Belen, Angel Canino, Angge Poyos and Shaina Nitura, they all share one thing in common.
READ: UAAP rookie-MVPs Bella Belen, Angel Canino ready for date with destiny
That quartet of UAAP women’s volleyball players were at one time labelled as ‘super rookies’ from the last four seasons.
Apart from headlining the finals for a second time, Belen and Canino were the league’s first-ever rookie MVPs in Seasons 84 and 85 respectively.
Then came a pair of young history-makers in Poyos and Nitura who etched their names in the record books by setting new scoring benchmarks for rookies in Season 86 and 87.
Four years now since this ‘super rookie’ phenomenon began being a fixture in the college ranks — two of them even leading their schools to championship wins straight away.
It’s as if they aren’t in need of more than just a year’s worth of experience to find their groove and get going against more experienced players in the college ranks.
Is the emergence of ‘super rookies’ a thing or just mere coincidence?
Setting the new standard
SPIN.ph asked two big names on that list in Season 87 MVP Belen and top rookie Nitura.
Their answers ran a common thread.
For Belen, the greater exposure received by high school volleyball on a mainstream level has given players newfound motivation and confidence to show out in the all-important prelude to college play.
“Ngayon, yung pagiging competitive ng bawat isa, hindi lang sa collegiate kundi sa high school na rin,” Belen said.
“Nakikita ko sa high school, parang marami na silang recognition galing sa iba't ibang channels. Kasi ngayon, may mga naka-live na so kumbaga, nakikita na ng mga tao ano yung meron sa high school. Before, sa amin [sa NU-Nazareth], walang ganun.”
As such, the National U captain believes that high school players now take it upon themselves to be armed with college-caliber skillsets out of necessity to not be left behind by the higher level of play.
“Ngayon, mas nagiging competitive din yung mga bata dahil nakikita nila na pagdating dapat sa college, hindi ka lang basta player or athlete na laro-laro lang,” Belen said.
“Kailangan from high school pa lang, competitive ka na dapat para pagdating ng college, hindi ka na ganung mahihirapan.
Having entered the college ranks three years after Belen’s groundbreaking entry, Adamson’s rookie-slash-captain Nitura saw firsthand how UAAP high school competition demands a firmer level of confidence that the likes of the former rookie-MVP have embodied down to a tee.
“Iba yung kumpyansang nabibigay ng UAAP high school sa mga paakyat [sa college ranks] like me, like yung other rookies din noon, sina Angge, siina ate [Bella] Belen, sina ate [Angel] Canino,” Nitura said.
“Yung nabigay na kumpyansa coming up to this, nu’ng rookie year nila sa collegiate, ang laki talaga lalo na ‘pag winning team kayo or malakas yung team sa high school. Big deal talaga yung nabibigay niya sa amin [sa Adamson].”
That Nitura hails from a sporting family gave her that unmatched competitive spirit.
“Laking bagay siya kasi du’n galing yung competitiveness ko, as in,” Nitura said. “Bata pa lang talaga, ayaw ko nang nagpapatalo. Kailangan ‘pag meron sila, meron ka din kaya I think it's a really big part na nabuo kami 'yung childhood namin, na competitive kami.”
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