Angel Canino sat out Alas Pilipinas' clean sweep of Chinese Taipei in the final day of pool play in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup.
In her first call-up to the women’s senior national team, Angel Canino immediately showed what she can do on the international stage.
At the end of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup preliminaries, Canino finished 5th among the top scorers in the tournament with 55 points. This is despite the De La Salle University superstar sitting out Alas Pilipinas’ final game versus Chinese Taipei.
Sitting at the top of the list is Australia’s Caitlin Tipping with 91 points, followed by Kazakhstan’s Sana Anarkulova with 65 points.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen and Iran’s Aytak Salamat came in third and fourth with 64 points apiece.
Canino, meanwhile, is tied in 5th with Chinese Taipei's Hsu Fang-Min, India’s Ansuree Kambrath Poyilil, and Indonesia’s Sabrina Agustina.
But even with the huge accomplishment, the 21-year-old outside hitter-turned-opposite spiker is more focused on helping the team in whatever way she can.
“It's very shocking for me to know I'm part of the top scorers, but for me, para lang 'yun maka-contribute ako sa team, para 'yun sa team, para 'yun sa bayan,” Canino told reporters.
“It's really not for me. What I'm doing inside is for the supporters na nandito, so I'm very happy and I'm glad also na nakakabigay ako [ng ganun performance],” she added.
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While some fans may have expressed their regret in Canino not being able to grab a higher standing in the top scorers' list due to her sitting out one game, the UAAP Season 85 Rookie-MVP knows the value of rest in a short tournament.
“Well, siyempre sabi nga ni coach Jorge [de Brito], it's very important for us to rest kasi siyempre nag-laro kami ilang consecutive days, so kailangan namin iprepare 'yung katawan namin, so much more intense na laro,” said Canino.
With a well-rested Canino heading into the semifinals, Alas Pilipinas will look to overcome a tough Kazakhstan squad on Tuesday, May 29 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum at 7:00 p.m.