MANILA, Philippines — De La Salle's past heartbreaks against National University have been fueling the Lady Spikers' title drive and their current tear in the UAAP Season 88 women's volleyball tournament.
That is what Angel Canino said after the Lady Spikers ended their 5-game skid against the Lady Bulldogs, 25-21, 25-19, 19-25, 25-17, at the Mall of Asia Arena Sunday.
“This win really means a lot to us especially for us seniors," said Canino, whose Lady Spikers swept the first round, 7-0.
"When we were rookies, of course the whole La Salle community and the entire team had full trust in us because we had that courage and confidence. But after that, we lost our way as a team and individually, and somehow we allowed NU to build that winning streak against us.
"The losses we experienced against NU were really painful because we tried many times to beat them but we just couldn’t do it."
With Canino leading the charge in her Rookie of the Year-Most Valuable Player run in Season 85 back in 2023, the Lady Spikers denied the Lady Bulldogs for the championship and defeated the latter one more time in Season 86 first round.
The Ramil De Jesus-mentored team could not beat NU since then, losing five games in a row including an 0-2 defeat to the Bella Belen-led Lady Bulldogs in Season 87 finale last year.
Canino, who logged 14 points, 10 excellent receptions, and six digs on Sunday, said the Lady Spikers made it a point to reintroduce their deadly form after that.
"We are really promising once we step onto the court, we want to reintroduce who we are. We want to make a statement again to our opponents," said Canino.
"We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and we don’t want to let it pass anymore because this is the time—there’s no other time to show people that once again, we are the Lady Spikers.
"All the values of being a Lady Spiker will be seen this Season 88. That’s why we really want to make every step and every game difficult for our opponents. We want to show it not just through words—we really have to prove it, just like what Shev said, through hard work against every opponent.
"So we just keep showing our best every day, especially in every game, because we also draw a lot of motivation and strength as a team.”
Canino and the Lady Spikers continue their title drive in the second round, beginning against the Adamson Lady Falcons at the Araneta Coliseum on March 21.