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La Salle Lady Spikers’ Angel Canino reacts after winning the championship in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament, beating NU Lady Bulldogs. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Angel Canino and her batchmates Shevana Laput, Amie Provido, and Lyka De Leon remained undecided if they will come back for one more year after completing a 16-0 sweep to rule the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.
Traditionally, the La Salle Lady Spikers perform the archer’s stance after their final game of the season, with the outgoing players stepping inside the circle.
READ: UAAP Finals: La Salle dethrones NU to complete perfect title run
After capturing the championship, however, no seniors stepped into the middle.
“Right now, all of us are still undecided. That’s also why nobody stepped into the middle during the archer stance because Coach Ramil told us not to yet,” said Canino in Filipino.
Arrows up for the Lady Spikers. #UAAPSeason88 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ
• Follow our live updates here: https://t.co/uTPfoJejmu pic.twitter.com/w4Osr2dcak
— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) May 9, 2026
“No one is graduating yet, but since we’re all incoming fifth-year players, we’re still undecided about our plans.”
Canino unleashed a triple-double of 11 points, 10 digs, and 10 excellent receptions in La Salle’s 25-22, 25-16, 25-16 rout of defending champion National University in Game 2 of the Finals on Saturday in front of 22,509 fans at Mall of Asia Arena.
Redemption complete
La Salle Lady Spikers’ Angel Canino, Amie Provido and Shevana Laput after winning the championship in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
It took three years for the three-time UAAP Best Outside Spiker to reclaim the championship she won in her first year in Season 85 as the league’s second rookie MVP.
“It’s very fulfilling, especially because we’re seniors now. Being a senior comes with more responsibility. Everything you do, both on and off the court, you really have to think about carefully because the younger players are looking up to you,” said Canino.
The Alas Pilipinas star attributed their success to coach Ramil De Jesus’ patience and dedication and the eagerness of her batchmates to lead their younger teammates.
“We needed to lead the younger players with the maturity that we wanted to show and that the coaches expected from us. It’s really fulfilling because we finally achieved it. For our Batch 122, our goal before everything else was really to give Coach what he wanted to achieve. We’re just very happy that we were able to do it,” she said.
Hungry for more
Angel Canino and La Salle Lady Spikers’ coach Ramil de Jesus after winning the championship in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
They may not yet know if they will run it back next season, but for Canino, the championship only fuels their hunger for more.
“Coach always reminds us that everything doesn’t end with just one championship. Whatever we showed this season, we still have to do better because the level of volleyball keeps getting higher,” said Canino.
Angel Canino and Amie Provido on reclaiming the UAAP glory for La Salle. #UAAPSeason88 | @LanceAgcaoilINQ
• Follow our live updates here: https://t.co/uTPfoJejmu pic.twitter.com/wXzmM0oV1o
— INQUIRER Sports (@inquirersports) May 9, 2026
“This season was really built on our hard work and sacrifices—not just from the players, but also from the coaches and staff. A lot of us were also going through personal struggles, and we used that as motivation to keep pushing and show people the best version of ourselves.”
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And if they do return, Canino expects an even tougher challenge next season, especially from NU and the rest of the field.
“I think it really depends on the mindset of the other teams. I can’t say NU will lose confidence because I’m sure they’ll come back next season even hungrier and mentally stronger,” said Canino.
“We just showed what we’re capable of and the level coach wants us to play at. After what happened this season, I’m sure other teams, including NU, will want to reach that same level. But we’re not stopping there either because knowing Coach Ramil, he doesn’t only think about the local level. If we were able to achieve this now, then it means we’re still capable of reaching even higher goals.”
