After missing five games due to an injured arm, MVP Angel Canino made her return to the court for the DLSU Lady Spikers Saturday against UST in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.
Angel Canino is back.
The UAAP's reigning MVP returned from injury Saturday, suiting up for De La Salle as the champion Lady Spikers took on the UST Golden Tigresses with a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four on the line.
Canino entered after UST took a 4-2 lead in the opening set of the virtual best-of-three match, much to the delight of the La Salle faithful at the jampacked Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The La Salle star spiker missed five games after suffering a right arm injury.
Canino missed the first of the five matches on April 4 against UP, emerging from the dugout with an arm sling at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Fortunately, the Lady Spikers didn’t need their best spiker to hack out a win over the Lady Maroons.
Rumors swirled on social media about the cause of the injury, with his mother Sol stepping forward to set the record straight.
[RELATED STORY: Angel Canino's mother clarifies issues surrounding DLSU superstar’s injury, going pro rumors]
In her absence, DLSU still went 4-1, setting up the crucial match against UST. As the games went by, Canino was visibly getting better, with protective layers from her arm slowly being removed.
Canino was warming up during the Lady Spikers' eventual win over Ateneo last week, prompting assistant coach Noel Orcullo to give a positive update, even if a slight one.
[Related: UAAP: What's the playing status of MVP Angel Canino after De La Salle's dominant win over Ateneo?]
In the six days since, Canino has obviously gotten better enough to play, even getting her first point just moment upon her return. The DLSU-UST showdown is locked in a tight first set as of press time.