Laput says La Salle win vs UST a boost in title bid: ‘We rewrote our story’

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Shevana Laput says La Salle has what it takes to 'go all the way to the end' after the Lady Spikers outlasted the UST Golden Tigresses to clinch the second seed in the Final Four

MANILA, Philippines – A payback win against the UST Golden Tigresses not only gave La Salle a twice-to-beat edge but also reinforced the Lady Spikers’ belief that they can reclaim the UAAP crown.

Shevana Laput said La Salle has what it takes to get the job done after the Lady Spikers outlasted the Tigresses in a playoff to clinch the second seed in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday, April 30.

The victory allowed La Salle to flip the script on UST a year after the Lady Spikers settled for the third seed, losing the twice-to-beat bonus to the Tigresses then getting booted out of the Final Four. 

“We rewrote our story. With this new team, we know that we can go all the way to the end. This is just a confidence booster,” said Laput, who finished with 22 points in the four-set triumph. 

“This shows that we are capable.”

La Salle got steady contributions from its usual suspects as Angel Canino fired a game-high-tying 24 points, while Alleiah Malaluan and Amie Provido supplied 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Lady Spikers were particularly brilliant on defense, tallying 20 block points to make up for their 38 errors. 

“Our chemistry as a team has definitely increased, but also simply just the mindset of we want it more,” said Laput.

Laput said La Salle has become more intentional after a surprise defeat to UP and a four-set loss to FEU to end the second round prevented the Lady Spikers from clinching the second seed outright. 

“We’ve stopped just waiting. We’re now taking. We’re taking the win because we know that we deserve it, we earned it,” said Laput.

Seeking a return to the finals, La Salle will meet the third-seeded Tigresses again as the Final Four begins on Saturday, May 3, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com