De La Salle University ace Angel Canino was rushed to the emergency room at Makati Medical Center after a freak accident with teammate Shevana Laput in the fourth set of their match against University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Saturday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Canino was accidentally struck on the head by Laput’s knee, which was the result of an unbalanced collision early in the fourth set.
Despite the injury, the Season 85 Rookie-MVP powered through the pain, delivering a career-high performance of 27 points — 24 attacks, two blocks, one ace — in the Lady Spikers’ hard-fought 15-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 16-14 victory over the Golden Tigresses.
She also had along 13 excellent receptions and 13 excellent digs.
Her remarkable effort helped La Salle break a four-game losing streak against UST, which had dominated the Lady Spikers since Season 86, including a five-set loss in the first round.
Though Canino appeared visibly exhausted and bowed to the ground in relief after the match, head coach Noel Orcullo reassured fans that her injury wasn’t as severe as it seemed.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Actually, after the game, siyempre, emotional siya,” Orcullo said. “Actually, kasi naapektuhan din siya nung tinamaan siya ni Shevana sa batok. Medyo parang nahilo, so, yun nga, after the game, although naging emotional.
“Before pa, sinasabi pa sa amin na si Angel, medyo hindi maganda yung [nararamdaman], kaya kinuha na agad nung mga PT namin at nung doctor namin. So, hopefully maging maayos. Hindi naman maging malala yung tama sa kanya.”
With Canino battling through dizziness and imbalance, La Salle displayed a collective effort in the intense fifth set to outlast UST.
The trio of Laput, Amie Provido, and Alleiah Malaluan played pivotal roles, contributing a combined total of 38 points, including clutch performances in the final set.
Together, they helped the Lady Spikers secure a share of second place with the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, both with 6-3 records.
Laput scored 16 points from 15 attacks and one block, while Provido added 12 points on eight attacks and four blocks — including the game-winning block on Regina Jurado.
Malaluan contributed 10 points from eight attacks and two blocks in the two-hour, 44-minute match.
“‘Yon yung sinabi namin [at] pinaalala namin nung fifth set na gustuhin natin manalo. Ito na yung pagkakataon namin na huwag na tayo bumitaw. Huwag natin bibitawan hangga’t naglalaro tayo at hindi pa tapos yung laban. Basta sabi namin sa kanila noon, wala nang bitawan ito,” Orcullo added.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Laput, for her part, praised Canino’s mental toughness in the final two sets, acknowledging how the captain’s resilience lifted the entire team in their comeback from a 1-2 set deficit.
“Angel is such a strong person, very strong mentally, especially we need that as a team captain from her. Honestly, she didn’t blame me at all or anything like that, she just said to laban with puso.”
#WATCH: La Salle deputy Noel Orcullo and the Lady Spikers praise Angel Canino’s herculean effort in their epic clash against UST 🏐
📹 @ernesttuazon /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason87 pic.twitter.com/jleoayLX4x
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 29, 2025
