Rookie Canino leads La Salle to a cliffhanger win over UST

Angel Canino doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary at the party in UAAP women’s volleyball.

But with the newcomers leading La Salle to win by the skin of their teeth, 25-20, 16-25, 25-8, 15-25, 16-14, in a battle of attrition against the University of Santo Tomas on Saturday, it only represents a very good thing for Canino and the Lady Spikers in Season 85.

“It was my dream to play in the UAAP, in the MOA (Mall of Asia), especially in college and now I’m here, and I didn’t expect this to be the result,” Canino said after giving up 16 hits. of her 18 points plus one block and an ace in a startling debut.

And the freshman from Bacolod City foresees that the Lady Spikers can do even more as they move deeper into the tournament.

“I just thought the game was going to be ours. We showed who we are as Lady Spikers and what we can achieve,” Canino said. “I know we’ll be more as a team.”

Canino also got a lot of help from Jolina Dela Cruz, Leila Cruz and Thea Gagate to come out on top of the first five setters of the season.

However, for La Salle’s interim coach, Noel Ocullo, the break is just around the corner.

“Both teams were able to win. It was intense and everything came to break the game. We just got lucky at the end,” Ocullo said about the UAAP baptism of fire.

There was also some luck for the Lady Spikers after Tigresses Milena Alessandrini and Eya Laure practically handed the victory on the plate.

Alessandrini, former rookie of the year, made a service error, giving the opponent the advantage in the final set, 15-14, before Laure’s power drive out of bounds to the delight of the jampacked La Salle crowd.

“We will certainly gain confidence from this victory. But there are many things we need to manage in training,” said Ocullo.

The Lady Spikers seemed headed for a quick disposal of the Tigresses after capturing the third set in runaway fashion behind the heroics of Cruz, Gagate, Dela Cruz and Canino.

But the Tigresses refused to just roll over with Laure and Alessandrini pulling out a bag of tricks that stunned La Salle in the fourth frame.

Laure had 19 points, highlighted by 17 attacks, which she did with eight digs, while the returning Alessandrini, who suffered a knee injury in Season 81, finished with nine kills for 10 points.

In another game, setter Christine Ubaldo led Far Eastern University to open the season 25-16, 23-25, 25-17, 26-24 win over the University of the Philippines.

Ubaldo threw an impressive 16 sets on top of five points and two blocks, helping her team overcome a late onslaught by the Lady Maroons to force five sets.

“This is a good start for the team, the program and the community. We struggled in training and past experiences, but we have proven that we can overcome it,” said FEU coach Tina Salak, who took over the coaching duties of the school that once led them to back-to-back UAAP titles. -to-back in the 90s. .

Jovelyn Fernandez scored 18 points, 17 of which came from the kill variety, while Chenie Tagaod and Alyzza Devosora added 13 and 12 points apiece for the Lady Tamaraws, who thrived on UP’s offense.

Devosora put FEU at match point with a pair of strikes and UP’s Stephanie Bustrillo hit her strike long, ending the match that had Salak cheering for the rest of the team.

“I can feel the pressure when I play for him (Salak) because we know he is legendary. I have learned a lot from coach Tina and the pressure has reduced slowly as we spend time with him,” said Ubaldo.

Salak, who won the MVP during the 1995 UAAP season, is a three-time Asian Games medalist—a silver medal at the 1995 SEAG Chiang Mai, a bronze at the 1997 Jakarta Olympics and a third-place finish at the 2005 Manila edition.

“I want him to play like when I was with the (FEU) team before. I want a childlike attitude without being afraid of what other people will say, whatever emotions you show there,” said Salak, who snapped an 11-game losing streak. alma mater

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