The La Salle Lady Spikers secured their first five-set victory of the season after defeating the Adamson Lady Falcons, 19-25, 25-20, 25-21, 13-25, 15-5, in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament, powered by the strong performance of team captain Shevana Laput.
Laput delivered a career-high 26 points built on 19 attacks, 6 blocks, and 1 ace. However, for the Lady Spikers captain, the numbers were only a secondary part of her role on the team.
“Personally, in terms of my career high, I didn’t even realize it. You don’t feel it on the court because, as an Ate, as captains in this team, our goal is to help our team. That’s the only thing we care about. How much, how we can help the team, how reliable we can be,” Laput said.
In the decisive fifth set, Shevana Laput and Shane Reterta each scored 4 points, Amie Provido added 3, and Angel Canino chipped in 2.
“The points will come, the blocks will come, all of that will come. But as long as we do our job, which is to be there, be an ate, be a senior, be a leader for them, that’s all that we care about,” she added.
Championship or Bust for Shevana Laput, Fellow Seniors
Laput began her collegiate career with the Lady Spikers in Season 85 alongside batchmates Angel Canino, Lyka De Leon, and Amie Provido. Now seniors, the group is determined to bring the championship back to Taft.
“I guess, in comparison to seasons before, I suppose in a way we can say, as seniors, we really can lead the team how we want to lead them,” Laput added. “The vision that we have is so… buo. The vision that we have is the same amongst all of us seniors, amongst us four or five, including Ate Jianna De Jesus. So that helps our mission to get that vision.”
“But yes, the difference, I believe, is we all have the same goal. All of us seniors are working and are making sure that every single girl on this team works towards the same goal.”
Despite needing five sets to defeat Adamson, Laput sees the experience as valuable preparation as the Lady Spikers close their first-round campaign against the defending champions, the National University Lady Bulldogs.
She ended: “This is, like Angel [Canino] said, this is a lesson. This isn’t seen as a disadvantage because, like Angel said, the girls were able to witness and feel how a fifth set goes and what you’re meant to do when you come to a fifth set.”
“So everything that we go through, we take it as a lesson. We take it as it was meant to happen. And that’s building who we are and who we will become in the future.”
Shevana Laput and the rest of the Lady Spikers will face the NU Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, March 15, at 3:00 p.m., at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
