Noel Kampton is back to lead De La Salle University-EcoOil in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference.
However, securing a starting spot was not automatic for him after returning from his duties with Alas Pilipinas, which caused him to miss most of the 2024 V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge.
The 6-foot-2 outside hitter only played in Games 2 and 3 of the V-League Finals, where Far Eastern University eventually took the championship.
Now in the Spikers’ Turf, Kampton shared that he had to earn back his place in the starting six from those who stepped up during his absence, with La Salle still making it to the V-League Finals.
Also missing from the Green Spikers’ lineup in the V-League were wing spiker Vince Maglinao and middle blocker Nathaniel Del Pilar – both seniors like Kampton.
“Siguro yung confidence nila tumaas talaga kasi nung V-League, wala kaming tatlo ni Vince Maglinao at Del Pilar eh,” said Kampton, who is proud of his younger teammates.
“So pagbalik namin, chinallenge kami ni coach Jose Roque na kailangan naming lumaban para sa pwesto namin sa first six ulit, kasi sila talaga yung magandang sistema eh,” he added.
(C) Spikers Turf Images
Kampton has been leading La Salle-EcoOil to victories in the Spikers’ Turf, with the Green Oilers still undefeated after three matches.
In two of those games, the 24-year-old Mandaluyong native led La Salle in scoring, with his most recent performance being a 14-point output against D’Navigators-Iloilo on Friday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
With La Salle being a younger squad compared to others in the Spikers’ Turf, Kampton and his teammates hope to learn a lot from their opponents while picking up wins along the way, which will be beneficial for his final playing year in the UAAP come February.
“Yung goal lang talaga namin is makapasok muna kami sa Final Four sa Spikers’ Turf,” said Kampton.
“Yung mga kalaban namin dito beterano na talaga, magagaling talaga sila and we look up to them talaga. Sila yung mga idol namin eh, pero ita-try din namin makipagsabayan. Wala namang masama win or lose, basta makita lang yung process sa paparating na UAAP.”
