UAAP: Laput, Coronel leading La Salle charge amid tough times

UAAP: Laput, Coronel leading La Salle charge amid tough times

MANILA, Philippines — With Shevana Laput and Julia Coronel at the forefront, La Salle continued to lean on its battle-tested system regain its winning ways and keep the Final Four twice-to-beat bonus on track in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.

Failing to execute the game plan against NU three days ago and even in the opening set loss to Adamson, the Lady Spikers were reminded to stick to the system that has always worked for them.

“We always tell them to stick to the system. When we play out of the system, we get [bad] results. For example, in the first set, we lost all the things we studied and trained [for Adamson],” said Orcullo in Filipino, ruing the lack of leadership in their first set collapse after the Lady Falcons scored 10 straight points.

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Laput lifted the Lady Spikers with a game-high 24 points as they recovered from a slow start and earned a 17-25, 25-19, 25-11, 25-22 win over the also-ran Lady Falcons on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We just need to listen to what the coaches are saying and stick to our system. No matter what happens, no matter if there’s an injury on the court, or we lose a set, if we go back to our system, which has worked for over 20 years, we can win this,” said Laput after firing 22 kills and two blocks.

“When we give our all, when we give our effort, when we play with our hearts as well as our minds, we can do anything.”

La Salle, which missed reigning MVP Angel Canino for the fourth straight game due to a cut on her right forearm, lost Jyne Soreño late in the first set after suffering a left shoulder injury from a collision with libero Lyka De Leon.

Coronel, who dished out 19 excellent digs on top of five points and six digs, made sure to give her teammates a lift amid the adversities they’re going through.

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“As much as possible, I try my best to keep motivating them and try to talk to each and every one, and just uplift their spirits, even if sometimes, I’m not at my best. But we just have each other’s backs and that’s what I appreciate so much about my team,” said the graduating captain. “We will keep on fighting until the end.”

Although the Lady Spikers are still on top tied with NU and University of Santo Tomas at 10-2, Coronel stressed that they are still learning heading to the Final Four and are hoping to make the most of their last two games in the elimination round.

“We’re all still learning. We know that we still have lapses that we have to work on. That’s what we’re continuously focusing on in practice… We want to make every game count,” said La Salle’s playmaker.

La Salle wraps up its elimination round against Ateneo and UST with Laput seeking to strengthen their mental toughness as they eye to seal one of the two twice-to-beat incentives.

“That’s not only just skills, because volleyball is really a mental game. We always need to play with confidence. That’s something that we’re still learning as a team, which is fine, obviously. This is all still experience. When we get to the semis, finals, all that, that’s when we need to be adjusted and ready for it,” Laput said.