Aside from her game-high offensive output, the La Salle standout also had 17 receptions.
The blocking of the De La Salle Lady Spikers may have been the biggest reason why they defeated the Adamson Lady Falcons on Sunday. But it was still their super rookie Angel Canino who led the way in scoring. Behind the fearsome outside hitter’s scorching attacks, DLSU remained unscathed with a 6-0 record in the UAAP Season 85 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
If you think Canino’s 21-point performance is impressive, get a load of this: She even missed several practice days before the showdown with Adamson due to sickness. That said, it didn’t show when she sparked a comeback after the Lady Spikers dropped the opening set to the Lady Falcons.
“Sobrang shaky ng start namin. Siguro nga medyo nangangapa pa si Angel. Medyo ilang days rin siyang hindi nakapag-training. Nagpahinga [siya] dahil under the weather . . . Pinaalalahanan ko lang naman after ‘nung first set na bumalik dahil kailangan. So, ayon, nagising siguro,” DLSU coach Noel Orcullo divulged.
The 19-year-old outside hitter did more than just wake up. She complemented her team’s tremendous blocking with devastating attacks. La Salle ran like a well-oiled machine after the opening frame.
“Mag-connect pa as a team. Ang mindset ko talaga na itanggal lahat kung anong nangyari sa first set. Bawi, relax,” Canino said.
Canino and the rest of the Lady Spikers will try to finish the first round with a flawless card on Wednesday. But it’s not going to be easy as they’ll take on the defending champions in the National University Lady Bulldogs.
No one should miss practice by then.