The dust has settled on the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, with the La Salle Lady Spikers completing a swashbuckling sweep en route to the championship. They achieved perfection with a dominant Game 2 win over the NU Lady Bulldogs that saw team captain Shevana Laput come up big on her way to nabbing Finals MVP. With this achievement, the amiable captain joined the ranks of previous Finals MVPs, who have all showed what it means to step up in the grandest stage of collegiate volleyball.
Of course, the list Laput joined is as long as it is illustrious, so Rebanse will take a look only at the last nine Finals MVPs before Laput won it at the conclusion of Season 88. Here they are and where they are now:
2025 – Shaira Jardio and Vange Alinsug (NU Lady Bulldogs)
For the first time in UAAP history, two players—Shaira Jardio and Vange Alinsug—were named co-Finals MVPs. Alinsug delivered a 21-point outing in Game 1 of the Finals, then came back in Game 2 with 10 points built on 9 attacks and a block, while also contributing 6 digs and 3 receptions. Jardio, on the other hand, anchored the floor defense with 28 excellent receptions and 18 digs in the series opener, before tallying 21 digs and 12 receptions in their straight-sets win in Game 2.
Both Jardio and Alinsug remained on NU’s roster in Season and were vital in clinching the No. 2 seed.
2024 – Alyssa Solomon (NU Lady Bulldogs)
Two years ago, NU was the top seed and completed another Finals sweep—this time against the UST Golden Tigresses. Alyssa Solomon erupted for 27 points in the championship match, built on 20 kills, 4 blocks, and 3 service aces. In Game 1, she delivered 17 points from 14 attacks and 3 blocks, while also chipping in 8 digs. Her efforts won for her Finals MVP honors.
After her collegiate stint, Solomon suited up for Osaka Marvelous in Japan’s SV.League. She helped her team reach the Finals but fell short of the title. Following a silver medal finish, the Laguna native exited the team along with several other players. It remains unclear whether the two-time UAAP Best Opposite Spiker will formally join the upcoming 2026 PVL Draft, but her name is included in the 27-player pool of Alas Pilipinas.
2023 – Mars Alba (La Salle Lady Spikers)
Back in Season 85, La Salle had a near-perfect regular season, losing only once. After enduring two grueling Finals matches that both stretched to five sets, Mars Alba emerged as the Finals MVP. She orchestrated the Lady Spikers’ come-from-behind Game 1 win with 15 excellent sets. In Game 2, Alba followed it up with 16 excellent sets, along with 3 points.
Currently, Alba plays for the Akari Chargers in the PVL and averaged 4.41 sets and 1.22 digs per set in the 2026 All-Filipino Conference.
2022 – Cess Robles (NU Lady Bulldogs)
Similar to the present-day Lady Spikers, the 2022 Lady Bulldogs dominated the elimination round with a flawless 14-0 record. They carried that momentum into the Finals, sweeping La Salle, with Cess Robles emerging as the Finals MVP. Robles delivered 6 points and 15 digs in the title-clinching Game 2 victory, after posting 12 points in their straight-sets triumph, 25-20, 25-12, 25-21, in Game 1. The NU captain capped her impressive run with a total of 162 points in the elimination round, ranking 10th overall in the UAAP.
After first playing for the now-defunct Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the PVL, she is now with the Zus Coffee Thunderbelles and has become one of the league’s brightest stars.
2019 – Bea de Leon (Ateneo Blue Eagles)
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, both the 2020 and 2021 seasons were canceled. But back in 2019, the top-seeded Ateneo Blue Eagles lost Game 1 against the second-seeded UST Golden Tigresses. The Lady Eagles stayed composed and turned the series around by taking the next two games, with Bea de Leon leading the charge. In her final season with Ateneo, the veteran middle blocker contributed 6 points in the deciding match and averaged 7.7 points across the three-game Finals. That was enough for her to be named Finals MVP of that series.
In the PVL, de Leon wrapped up a five-season stint with the Choco Mucho Flying Titans before joining the Creamline Cool Smashers in January 2024. After winning her fifth title with Creamline, it’s safe to say the 29-year-old has found her home with the league’s most well-known squad.
2018 – Dawn Macandili (La Salle Lady Spikers)
As the Lady Spikers aimed for a historic three-peat, they banked on their trio of Kim Kianna Dy, Majoy Baron, and Desiree Cheng. As the No. 1 team stormed their way to the Finals and swept the FEU Lady Tamaraws, a different hero took the spotlight. La Salle libero Dawn Macandili earned Finals MVP honors after anchoring the team’s defense throughout the series. She tallied 24 excellent digs and 13 excellent receptions in their Game 1 sweep of FEU, then followed it up with 21 digs and 8 receptions in the title-clinching Game 2.
Afterwards, Macandili has been creating a lasting impact wherever she has gone to, including contributions to the Alas Pilipinas national team. She has also collected multiple Best Libero awards in both the PSL and PVL. Most recently, she suited up for the Cignal HD Spikers, the 2026 Finals runners-up, prior to the team’s sudden leave of absence from the league.
2017 – Desiree Cheng (La Salle Lady Spikers)
The Lady Spikers dominated the latter part of the 2010s, winning back-to-back titles after facing their archrival, Ateneo Lady Eagles, in the Finals. In the 2016 Finals, Desiree Cheng bounced back from an ACL injury that sidelined her the previous season, delivering an all-around effort with 12 points, 12 excellent digs, and 13 receptions in Game 2 after scoring 11 points in the Finals opener. Her consistency earned her the Finals MVP.
Like Macandili, Cheng built a strong résumé in the PSL at the start of her professional career. In 2022, she joined the Choco Mucho Flying Titans, where she continues to serve as team captain.
2016 – Kim Kianna Dy (La Salle Lady Spikers)
Before gaining attention for her viral TikTok dance moves, Kim Kianna Dy was already a standout for the Lady Spikers, leading the team to a long-awaited 2016 championship after back-to-back runner-up finishes. She delivered 16 points anchored on 13 attacks in Game 2, then capped her breakout campaign with a 17-point performance built on 16 attacks and a block in the title-clinching Game 3. She was unsurprisingly named Finals MVP.
Soon after that, KKD has had a colorful career in both the PSL and PVL. As one of the veterans for the PLDT High Speed Hitters, along with her college teammate Majoy Baron, she now has two titles under her belt and is considered one of the league’s superstars.
As the UAAP women’s volleyball Finals continue to serve as the proving ground for greatness, the above list shows how each year’s Finals MVP has embodied the resilience, skill, and leadership that define championship moments. From Kim Kianna Dy’s breakout in 2016 to Shaira Jardio and Vange Alinsug’s historic co-MVP honor in 2025, the award has consistently highlighted players who rise when the stakes are highest.
Now, in Season 88, La Salle’s Shevana Laput has joined this prestigious list after powering La Salle to a perfect 16-0 season. With it, she also cemented her place among the finest to ever shine on the UAAP Finals stage as the league’s latest Finals MVP. Her rise from a track and field athlete to Finals hero underscores the very essence of this award—recognizing those who seize the moment and etch their names into history.
With Laput’s name now added to this illustrious roll, the Finals MVP legacy grows richer, reminding us that every season brings new heroes ready to step into the spotlight.
