Angel Canino did more than just finish a championship run. She also helped carry a legacy forward.
For De La Salle University, the Season 88 crown wasn’t just its 13th UAAP women’s volleyball title under nearly three decades of Ramil De Jesus’ leadership.
It was another reaffirmation of a program built on sustained excellence, where winning has become both tradition and expectation.
But for Canino, the weight of that tradition comes with a different kind of responsibility.
Maintaining a championship program year after year is never automatic. It is anchored on a culture set by De Jesus, but equally carried by players who choose to uphold it. The system is already in place; the challenge is making sure each new generation of Lady Spikers embraces it fully and pushes it forward.
At the center of that continuity are the seniors — players tasked not only with producing on the court, but with preserving the standards, discipline, and identity that define the Lady Spikers, even as rosters constantly change.
For Canino, Season 88 was where that responsibility became most evident.
Alongside Shevana Laput, Lyka De Leon, and Amie Provido, she helped lead her batch across the finish line, adding yet another chapter to La Salle’s storied run.
“Mas mahirap talaga ‘pag senior ka na,” said Canino, who had 11 points and 10 digs against National University in Game 2. “Yung responsibility mo — yung lahat ng ginagawa inside and outside the court talaga — kailangan mong pag-isipan nang mabuti kasi may mga bata kaming kasama.
“Talagang kailangan namin i-lead yung mga bata with the maturity that we want and the maturity that the coaches want from us. Parang fulfilling lang kasi nagawa na namin. ‘Yun lang yung goal namin, kaming Batch 122 — bago lahat ng mga gusto namin talaga, ibibigay kay Coach yung gusto niyang mangyari. Happy kami na nanalo kami.”
With Canino and her batch still potentially returning for one final run in Season 89, La Salle enters the next chapter with momentum — but also expectations.
A successful title defense, something the program has not achieved since Season 80, now looms as both possibility and obligation.
The Lady Spikers understand that competing for championships is no longer just an ambition; it is the standard.
And under De Jesus, that standard rarely slips.
The heartbreaks of Seasons 86 and 87 against National University sharpened their resolve, but just as important is the internal drive to keep building on a legacy that stretches far beyond a single season.
“Siguro kasi, always naman talaga sinasabi ni Coach — right after a championship — hindi nagtatapos lahat ng ito sa isang championship,” said the Alas Women pool member. “Kung anuman ang pinakita ngayon, mas higitan pa kasi kagaya nga ng lagi naming sinasabi, every year yung level ng volleyball mas lalong tumataas. Mahirap siya, pero at the same time, it’s more on sa hard work namin and sa sacrifices naming lahat — ng mga coaches, mga staff, mga players.
“Hugot din kasi marami kaming personal na pinagdadaanan. Isa ‘yun sa mga hugot namin kung bakit gusto naming magpatuloy at ipakita sa mga tao ang mga best namin. And of course, with the help of the coaches — and Coach Ramil talaga — kaya na-bring out yung best namin talaga. Sana matuloy pa kung anuman ang masimulan nito.”
