For many student-athletes, reaching the Final Four of a UAAP women’s volleyball tournament would already be enough.
Not for Adamson University sophomore star Shaina Nitura, who has become the face of the program’s resurgence into perennial contender status in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
The 21-year-old outside hitter delivered 18 points built on 12 attacks, four aces, and two blocks, along with 10 excellent receptions and six excellent digs in the Lady Falcons’ Final Four-clinching win over the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Saturday evening at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
However, just moments after leading Adamson to its first postseason appearance in three seasons, Nitura made it clear that the Lady Falcons are not satisfied with simply ending their Final Four drought.
“For me, siyempre, nandito na kami. Pinasok na namin itong mundo ng Final Four, kaya for sure mas papahirapan kami kasi best of the best na ito ng mga UAAP teams,” the Season 87 Rookie of the Year said postgame, referring to the program’s first postseason stint since its bronze-medal finish in Season 85.
Adamson’s breakthrough has been one of the biggest stories of Season 88, with Nitura at the center of it all. She once again breached the 300-point mark for the second consecutive season, finishing the eliminations with 302 points built on 260 attacks, 26 blocks, and 16 aces.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
In her rookie year, Nitura took the league by storm, setting a record of 371 points on 333 spikes, 25 blocks, and 13 aces in Season 87.
But while many may already be celebrating the Lady Falcons’ achievement, the pride of Cainta, Rizal has already shifted her focus to what lies ahead — whether it be a stepladder format, a potential playoff for a twice-to-beat advantage, or a traditional Final Four setup.
“I think it’s gonna be harder for us, pero hindi kami magba-back down sa pinasok namin. We’re just gonna keep going, do our hard work, do everything that we can, and kung ano ‘man abutin niyan, we just have to respond to that kung saan kami aabot,” Nitura expressed.
Even amid the celebration — and the challenge of elevating their game for the postseason — Nitura reflected on how Adamson managed to overcome every pressure-packed situation thrown their way under head coach JP Yude.
It has been a rousing return to the postseason for Adamson, which defeated fellow Final Four aspirants University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines, then FEU to secure a semifinal berth.
For the Season 86 Girls’ Volleyball MVP and Athlete of the Year, that composure and resilience will be crucial if the Lady Falcons are to make more noise in the postseason — and potentially contend for their first-ever UAAP women’s volleyball championship.
“Kapit lang sa isa’t isa. ‘Yon lang naman ang meron kami. Yung isa-isa, yung team, yung coaching staff, yung family namin, at yung friends namin na talagang sumusupporta sa amin. Hindi perfect yung season namin, hindi perfect natapos yung Round 1 at Round 2 namin, but the only thing is nakuha namin kung ano yung goal namin,” Nitura shared.
“Sabi ko sa kanila, wala tayong kailangang ikatakot. Pangit yung naroon na i-sasaluhin natin, magtulungan lang tayo. Magkasama tayo sa baba, magkasama tayo sa taas. So, yun yung ginawa nung team at ng mga coaching staff. So, very grateful and thankful talaga.”
