After sharing the court as teammates for Alas Pilipinas in the national team, Angel Canino and Shaina Nitura met again on opposite sides of the net on Wednesday.
Canino and the La Salle Lady Spikers defeated Nitura and the Adamson Lady Falcons in five sets, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 13-25, 15-5, in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.
After the match, Canino praised not only Nitura but also the improvement across the entire Adamson squad, noting that the Lady Falcons are beginning to provide more support for their star scorer.
Shaina Nitura and the Lady Falcons Are Showing Potential
In the fourth set, Adamson displayed its full potential and limited La Salle to just 13 points, one of the Lady Spikers’ lowest-scoring sets this season.
“Actually, ngayon, talagang may katulong na talaga si Shai. ‘Yung team talaga nila, lumalaban na as a team. Lumalaban talaga sila as a team. Makikita mo na pinupusuan nila kada sets and kada puntos. Kaya minsan hindi rin kami nakakakuha ng puntos agad kasi nakikitaan ko rin silang lahat na gusto nilang manalo,” Canino said.
Frances Mordi led the Lady Falcons with 22 points built on 19 attacks and three blocks, while Nitura finished with 21 points along with 17 excellent receptions and 10 excellent digs.
Despite the tough match, La Salle remained unbeaten and improved to a perfect 6-0 record. Adamson, meanwhile, dropped to a 3-3 win-loss card midway through the tournament.
Canino also expressed pride in Shaina Nitura’s growth and competitiveness on the court.
“Si Shaina talaga, all-out ‘yun kahit anong laro naman. All-out sa paglalaro. Nilalabas niya talaga ‘yung puso niya sa paglalaro. And nakikita naman every game ‘yung pinaggagawa niya. Sobrang proud ako as her ate. And at the same time, maganda rin naman ‘yung pinapakita ng Adamson. Mas gusto lang rin talaga siguro namin manalo,” Canino said.
The Lady Spikers will next face the defending champions, the NU Lady Bulldogs, on Sunday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Earlier that day, Shaina Nitura and the Lady Falcons will take on the UP Fighting Maroons at 1:00 p.m. at the same venue.
