ONLY twice in the last 16 years did La Salle miss out on the UAAP women’s volleyball finals and slid to third place.
The last time it happened last year in Season 86, it was National U that took the crown La Salle won the season prior.
READ: How Jolina, Fifi, La Salle solved the NU problem in Season 85
La Salle’s out to change all that and exorcise the ghosts of recent past.
For the longstanding Lady Spikers dynasty to be tagged as challengers is a rarity in itself.
But against the Lady Bulldogs, even with a 5-7 all-time record since 2022 and three straight losses entering the finals, La Salle already proved that it has what it takes to stop National U on its tracks.
The Lady Spikers have beaten reigning two-time MVP Bella Belen & Co. once for a championship two years ago.
And here’s why they’re primed to do it again.
Defense wins championships
Blocking has been La Salle’s signature asset that has fortified its dynasty over the last three decades.
And even with a younger defensive front led by 5-foot-11 middle blockers Amie Provido and Lilay del Castillo, the Lady Spikers still topped the blocking department this season.
The Taft towers normed 2.54 blocks per set in the elimination round and converted 160 kill blocks in total.
Both Provido (0.57 blocks per set; 36 kill blocks) and del Castillo (0.51 blocks per set; 32 kill blocks) rose through the ranks to finish second and fifth in the league in blocking, respectively.
Aiding La Salle’s cause was how its two leading scorers were also among the league’s leading blockers — a scintillating indicator of the Lady Spikers’ versatility and reliability.
Shevana Laput emerged as the league’s fourth-leading blocker (0.52 blocks per set; 33 kill blocks), fourth top scorer (281 points; 20.07 points per game) and third top spiker (37.01 percent success rate).
The other Lady Spiker in the blocking list? No other than team captain Angel Canino who ranked eighth overall (0.48 blocks per set; 31 kill blocks).
She also finished second in scoring (307 points; 21.93 points per game) and sixth in spiking (35.33 percent success rate).
As a team, La Salle ranked second to National U in the four departments the defending champions led this season.
The green-and-white was second in spiking (32.95 percent success rate), setting (5.49 excellent sets per set), receiving (39.68 percent efficiency) and serving (1.54 aces per set).
Despite being sixth in digging, another rarity in itself for La Salle, best libero forerunner Lyka de Leon put up big numbers all-season long as Taft’s lead floor general.
Setting, the team’s early area of concern, became much more stable late in the season as rookie setter Mikole Reyes ranked fifth in the league (4.17 sets per set) ahead of mainstay Julyana Tolentino in tenth place (1.17 sets per set).
A legacy to uphold and protect
For every Lady Spiker that has donned the school’s colors, it’s as if there’s more to the honor of wearing the La Salle badge than just merely representing the Taft side.
In his 28th year at the helm, every single one to have fought for the green-and-white has its champion mentor Ramil de Jesus in mind.
The architect of La Salle’s dynastic women’s volleyball program won 12 championships in 20 finals appearances.
Not to mention, 321 wins and only 90 losses in nearly three decades — a 78.1 percent coaching success rate.
But most importantly, RDJ’s rather-unrelenting tutelage has produced some of the brightest stars Philippine volleyball has ever seen — from the likes of Illa Santos, Ara Galang, Kim Fajardo, Dawn Macandili-Catindig, Thea Gagate, Canino and a whole lot more to even list down.
As such, in the words of Canino herself, this fight is also for RDJ and his unrivaled sporting legacy.
Evidenced by a 10-year pre-pandemic finals streak, an RDJ-led team is rarely a losing team.
This makes the oncoming championship trilogy with National U much more of a must-win.
Sure, La Salle may have beaten NU in a title series before, but NU has since emerged as arguably the new benchmark of college women’s volleyball — a distinction La Salle has held for so long.
It’ll be more than just about a 13th championship for the Lady Spikers.
For the green-and-white, this will be about protecting a coaching legacy, upholding a reputable dynasty and restoring lost glory to bring Taft back on top.
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