Canino bucks bad spill, powers La Salle to gripping 5-set escape of UST
MANILA, Philippines – Angel Canino showed yet again that she gives her all for La Salle.
Despite suffering a bad spill in the fourth set, Canino willed La Salle past the UST Golden Tigresses, 15-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-21, 16-14, as the Lady Spikers climbed to a share of second in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Saturday, March 29, at the Araneta Coliseum.
Canino powered through a personal season-high of 27 points built on 24 attacks on top of 13 excellent receptions and 13 digs, even after an inadvertent knee from teammate Shevana Laput had her visibly hurt in the fourth set.
The thrilling escape gave La Salle a share of second with FEU at 6-3, just behind defending champion NU (8-1).
It also snapped the Lady Spikers’ four-game skid against the Tigresses since last year.
After an error-plagued fifth set which saw both teams trading points, Laput gave La Salle the lead, 15-14, after an off-speed hit.
La Salle middle blocker Amie Provido then ended the game after 2 hours and 32 minutes with an emphatic rejection of an attacking Reg Jurado.
Laput finished with 16 points against the Tigresses, who absorbed their third straight loss to slip to fourth at 5-4.
After the match, Canino was rushed to the hospital after complaining of dizziness.
“I had hit the ball, and she was behind me, but she had fallen on the floor and I was still landing and I couldn’t balance myself. And unfortunately my knee hit her head,” recalled the third-year Laput.
“Angel is such a strong person. Very strong mentally… we need that as a team captain from her.”
“She didn’t blame me at all, she just said, ‘Laban! Puso!'” added Laput, while she thumped her chest.
La Salle, which tallied a whopping 38 errors, overcame a 2-1 set deficit against a UST side that leaned on Jurado and Angge Poyos.
“Sabi nga namin, noong nakuha namin ang fourth set, gustuhin niyo lang. Pagdating ng fifth set, gustuhin niyo lang manalo,” La Salle assistant Noel Orcullo said after the game.
(As what we’ve told the players after taking the fourth set, just want it. Have that desire to win in the fifth set.)
Jurado, UST’s second-leading scorer, topped the Tigresses’ offense with 22 points, while Poyos scored 12.
La Salle will battle Ateneo at 1 pm on Wednesday, April 2, at the same venue, while UST will face off against Adamson at 3 pm on the same day. – Rappler.com