Angel Canino, Shaina Nitura showdown deliver in spades as La Salle blanks Adamson

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Former UAAP rookie-MVP Angel Canino drops 15 points to counter super rookie Shaina Nitura's 16 as La Salle blanks Adamson in a hyped blockbuster affair to bounce back from its shock sweep loss to champion NU

MANILA, Philippines – The era of super rookies in UAAP volleyball continues as former rookie-MVP Angel Canino went toe-to-toe with star newcomer Shaina Nitura in La Salle’s 25-21, 26-24, 25-20 sweep of Adamson at the packed FilOil EcoOil Centre on Saturday, February 22.

Veteran hitter Alleiah Malaluan led the way with 16 points off 13 attacks, 2 aces, and 1 block, while Canino had 15 off 14 spikes and 1 rejection as La Salle vented its ire following a shock sweep loss to defending champion NU the week prior.

Nitura, after a UAAP rookie record 33 points against Ateneo, went down swinging in the loss with a game-high-tying 16 points as both sides tied at a 1-1 record.

Coming off a tight first set, the Canino-Nitura showdown reached a fever pitch in the second, as Nitura forced a 23-all tie, followed by a Frances Mordi hit for the 24-23 set point advantage.

Not to be outdone, Canino scored twice in the clutch to seize set point for the green side, 25-24, before Nitura gave an anticlimactic ending with a failed free-ball shove that only hit the middle of the net.

Despite their best efforts in the first two frames, the bottom eventually fell out for Adamson as La Salle roared to an 8-3 third-set start and never looked back, leading by as many as 6, 23-17, before staving off the Lady Falcons’ last-gasp rally for its first win of the season.

“I think we just lacked confidence last time,” La Salle head coach Ramil de Jesus said in Filipino. “We lacked belief in ourselves and in the team in the first game, and maybe because our setter is new.”

“From that game, the kids learned a lot like overcoming pressure.”

Overcome pressure, setter Mikole Reyes did, as the sister of La Salle legend Mika Reyes dropped 15 excellent sets to steer the Lady Spikers’ winning offense.

Meanwhile, La Salle likewise cleaned house against Adamson in men’s action, as Noel Kampton erupted for 24 points in the 25-19, 25-23, 25-19 sweep for win No. 1.

No Soaring Falcon breached double-digit scoring as they fell to a 0-2 card. – Rappler.com