For a long time, De La Salle University has consistently produced members of the Philippine women’s volleyball team.
From the batch of Aby Maraño and Majoy Baron to the 2024 Alas Pilipinas roster — which included Dawn Catindig, Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel, Fifi Sharma, and Mars Alba — the continuous production of Lady Spikers for the national team reflects the quality of La Salle women’s volleyball.
Staying true to this tradition, a new batch of Lady Spikers — Alleiah Malaluan, Amie Provido, and Shevana Laput — have a shot at representing La Salle on the international stage, having earned spots on the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s 33-player wishlist for the upcoming Alas Pilipinas Women’s Tryouts for three international tournaments.
Their individual talents have caught the attention of Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge Brito, as all three players have played pivotal roles in La Salle’s 6-3 record.
Their performances helped the team earn a share of second place alongside Far Eastern University in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
Given La Salle’s legacy of winning — having claimed seven of the last 12 UAAP women’s volleyball titles — and the PNVF’s trust in the Lady Spikers program, which has been led by head coach Ramil De Jesus for the past 28 years, this is a proven advantage for La Salle over any other collegiate school, according to Malaluan.
Out of the 33 players on the wishlist, 11 come from De Jesus’ system at La Salle, including Alba, Coronel, Catindig, Laput, Gagate, Sharma, Malaluan, Provido, Angel Canino, Justine Jazareno, and Eli Soyud.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Nandoon yung tiwala ng national team sa program ng La Salle and at the same time, La Salle has been winning championships the past few years so siyempre yung tiwala and at the same time, maybe they want to adapt something na natutunan ng players,” Malaluan said after contributing 10 points in La Salle’s five-set victory over University of Santo Tomas on Saturday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Echoing Malaluan’s sentiments, La Salle deputy coach Noel Orcullo believes that De Jesus’ proven system of developing collegiate talents for the international volleyball stage is the true advantage of the Lady Spikers in producing Philippine women’s volleyball team members.
“Alam naman natin kung paano mag-produce si Coach Ramil ng player ‘eh. Unang-una yung tiyaga sa pagtuturo. Alam naman din natin na height yung hinahanap namin,” Orcullo told Tiebreaker Times.
“‘Yon yung isang edge namin na sa tagal na ni Coach Ramil dito sa UAAP na nagco-coach, alam na niya kung paano i-handle at i-develop ang isang player para maging mataas yung caliber at makasabay sa international play.”
Despite their gratitude to the PNVF for being included in the 33-player wishlist, the trio remains committed to the Lady Spikers’ quest for glory in Season 87 — a goal they last achieved in Season 85 with the leadership of Gagate, Coronel, Sharma, Alba, Provido, and Canino.
“It’s a big honor for us but at the same time, we’re still in the UAAP season and we still have our own goal of keeping going through,” Laput shared after delivering 16 points.
“Thankful din ako sa opportunity, nagulat na lang din ako na nandoon yung name ko,” Provido admitted after contributing 12 points, including eight attacks and four blocks.
“Pero yung sabi nga nila Ate na nasa season pa kami ngayon, so dito lang muna kami magfo-focus and ito yung uunahin namin.”
