Adamson ace rookie Shaina Nitura doesn’t pay any mind to the individual stats she’s getting as she attempts to lead the Lady Falcons to the UAAP Final Four in Season 87.
Shaina Nitura is the owner of multiple records in just her first year of playing in the UAAP seniors division, as she now eclipsed four games with at least 30 points after a 32-point performance against the NU Lady Bulldogs on Sunday.
Despite this, the high-flying scoring machine is paying absolutely no mind to all that she’s doing as an individual.
After breaking the rookie scoring record in her first game of the season, Nitura also broke the all-time scoring record in UAAP women’s volleyball with a 38-point explosion against UP at the end of the first round.
Then on Sunday, against the mighty NU Lady Bulldogs, Nitura fired a fourth 30-point performance. Shaina thus earned her the honor of being the only player in UAAP women’s volleyball history to do such a feat that not even greats like Alyssa Valdez, or Jaja Santiago were able to achieve.
[READ: Shaina Nitura drops 32 points as Adamson shocks Solomon-less NU in UAAP Season 87]
Asked about her latest record after the game, Nitura couldn’t care less.
“Di ko po talaga siya pinapansin kasi nga po good din po yung mga support system nila coach eh, hindi ko po yun masyado nilalagay sa utak ko at sa heart ko,” said Nitura.
“Hindi naman po yun yung goal, ito po yung goal manalo. Either way, hindi man ako makapuntos basta manalo, di man po ako makapasok, basta manalo. Yun talaga ang goal naman ng lahat ng teams so thank you Lord nanalo kami.”
As crazy as it may sound, only two of Nitura’s 30-point games ended in a win — against Ateneo in their opener and this game against the Lady Bulldogs that didn’t actually have Alyssa Solomon on the opposite end.
Though shifting the focus on the team game, it cannot be denied that Nitura is the bread and butter of Adamson on offense.
Against NU, a whopping 85 sets were given to Nitura, with Frances Mordi getting the next highest number of sets at just 27. But for Nitura, as long as it ends up with wins for the Lady Falcons, she doesn’t mind doing the heavy lifting.
“Wala naman pong parang problema doon kasi sabi nga po ni coach, if yun yung way to win why not?” said Nitura.
“Lagi naman po namin yun ina-address na lahat talaga makapatay, lahat mabigyan ng bola as much as possible. [Pero] ayun nga, young team inconsistent pa there are times na talagang on sila, there are times na hindi so kailangan lang namin mag hinay hinay and magalalay lang din talaga at magtiwala lang kasi again, young team and when the time comes malay natin,” she added.
From here on out, though, it will be do-or-die for the Lady Falcons as they need to win all their remaining games — and then some — to be able to vie for a spot in the Final Four.
Adamson faces a tough FEU Lady Tams squad next on Saturday, April 12, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.