Celine Marsh stepped up in place of the recovering Sam Cantada — and she did not disappoint.
In her first start of the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Tournament for National University, the sophomore outside spiker delivered 11 points on eight spikes, two aces, and a block, while also recording 12-of-20 excellent digs.
More importantly, she helped the Lady Bulldogs bounce back from a crushing loss with a 25-19, 25-10, 25-19 sweep of the UE Lady Warriors on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For Marsh, this performance was a boost to her confidence, which she admitted had been waning lately.
“Personally, I’ve been struggling with my mindset lately, po. This game, I think yung ginawa ko lang po talaga is ano po yung na-training ko before ng game day. Inisip ko lang po na aayusin ko lang po, kasi lalabas at lalabas po yung laro ko without overthinking stuff,” said Marsh.
“’Yung confidence po, it’s the starting point po siguro ng paglalaro po kasi na-experience ko na po kung paano maglaro sa loob, and siyempre di lang ito ’yung time na dapat ganyan ’yung performance ko. I need to stay consistent kasi baka ibunot nanaman ulit dapat ready lang po talaga ako.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Now that she has made her mark with an impressive outing, Marsh is confident she can remain consistent and deliver whatever the team needs from her.
In the Lady Bulldogs’ first four games, she did not play in three and appeared for only a fraction of a set against the FEU Lady Tamaraws.
Despite Marsh’s limited playing time, head coach Regine Diego always believed in her potential.
“I never really doubted Celine’s performance. I never really feel like na malaki ‘yung mawawala kapag may isang player na hindi makakalaro, kasi I have somebody else to help the team. Tulungan lang talaga kami,” said the first-year head coach.
Cantada, who injured her right shin in NU’s five-set loss to University of the Philippines, was in uniform against UE but did not play.
Diego remains optimistic that the 19-year-old sensational rookie can return in their next game on Sunday against Ateneo de Manila University, also at the Big Dome.
#WATCH: LALABAS AT LALABAS RIN YUNG LARO KO 🐶
Celine Marsh admits she struggled to start #UAAPSeason88, but instead of sulking, she went through the course to overcome it 🏐#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/QsCpQM3u6J
📹 @ErnestTuazon /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/iZ3Zg6dLOm
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 4, 2026
