AFTER an unusual series of shaky performances from the De La Salle Lady Spikers, the team acknowledged that the absence of ace spiker Angel Canino, just two matches into her injury break, has been keenly felt.
Scoring-wise, there hasn't been a shortage of scoring hotshots who have stepped up big time without their leading scorer.
In La Salle's hard-earned wins against cellar-dwellers University of the Philippines and University of the East, Shevana Laput manned the Taft Towers' offense with back-to-back 21-point performances. Moreover, the one-two punch of Alleiah Malaluan and Thea Gagate both averaged 14.5 markers each in the two Canino-less matches.
READ: La Salle pulls off another close win in Angel Canino's absence
While the Lady Spikers seem to have the void on offense left by Canino covered, La Salle deputy coach Noel Orcullo pointed out one intangible aspect in which the reigning MVP's absence has been strongly felt: on-court leadership.
"Siguro as of now, talagang hinahanap pa rin nila si Angel (Canino). Nandyan naman ‘yung presence niya pero ‘yung presence niya talaga sa loob ‘yung talagang hinahanap ng mga temmates niya dahil si Angel, bilang isang leader, nahihila sila ni Angel du’n sa kailangang i-push nila ‘yung sarili nila," rued Orcullo.
Scorers might still be aplenty as of late, but Orcullo was left puzzled by the evident leadership void which he believes shouldn't solely lie on the hands of Canino or team captain Julia Coronel but by each of the 14 Lady Spikers.
"Ngayon, mangilan-ngilan na lang ‘yung nagiging leader sa court. Sabi ko nga last night, hindi lang isa ang dapat maging leader, hindi lang pwedeng ‘yung captain ball. Dapat lahat kayo maging leader sa loob. Hindi pupwedeng isa lang ‘yung magiging leader sa inyo. Maging leader kayo sa sarili niyo," Orcullo said.
Tougher roads ahead
The current circumstances, coupled with a highly competitive playing field, make it abundantly clear to the reigning champions that defending their crown will only become increasingly challenging moving forward.
Though candid about the mental hurdles posed by this demanding phase, La Salle standouts Thea Gagate and Shevana Laput emphasized the necessity of not only defeating formidable opponents but also maintaining peak performance to claim the title.
"More on mental ('yung challenges ng team ngayon). ‘Yun talaga ang kailangan pang i-work kasi as what I mentioned, hindi madali ‘yung pagdadaanan namin these upcoming few games so kailangan lang naming tiyagain.
"Ni-reremind ko lang ‘yung mga teammates ko na kailangan talagang mas gustuhin namin sa lahat ng bagay — mas gustuhin naming dumepensa, mapa-floor o net, mas gustuhin naming pumalo. (Minsan) kasi, mas nangunguna ‘yung emotions so kailangan lang pa-kalmahin para bumalik ‘yung form," said Gagate.
Laput added: "When we’re unfocused or playing with our emotions, that’s what affects our physical (state) and that’s what ruins us. We have the skills, we have everything to win, but it’s really a test of character and how we as players will win games and play games."
"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. 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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