The question now is whether or not DLSU’s Angel Canino, Amie Provido, Shevana Laput, and Lyka de Leon will use their final playing year.
As the championship celebrations continued at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, the DLSU Green Archers gathered by their playing area for a longstanding tradition — the Archer Stance.
Throughout the years, the Archer Stance has been the Lady Spikers’ way of paying tribute to their graduating seniors, who would go in the middle of the team circle. In Season 87, it saw Alleiah Malaluan, Jules Tolentino, Jessa Ordiales, and Baby Jyne Soreño bid farewell to the Green and White.
But what about Season 88? To everyone’s surprise, no seniors went inside the circle, namely the group of Angel Canino, Shevana Laput, Amie Provido, and Lyka de Leon. On paper, it meant that the Lady Spikers would run it back with an intact core for their title defense.
However, the situation isn’t exactly that simple, as Canino admitted in the post-game press conference.
“Ngayon, kaming lahat undecided talaga that’s why walang pumunta sa gitna and pinag-uusapan pa namin,” she said. “Bilin din po talaga ni coach [Ramil de Jesus] na walang pupunta sa gitna.”
“Wala pa po talagang gagraduate, but if we’re speaking with our fifth year, lahat kami undecided pa naman po.”
Fresh off another Alas Pilipinas stint, Canino again led DLSU in scoring with 226 points (16.5 per game) in elimination en route to her third Best Outside Hitter award. Provido likewise returned with national team experience, while collecting another Best Middle Blocker plum.
Last but not least is Laput, who assumed captaincy for Season 88. The towering hitter also won her second-straight Best Opposite award. In their two-game sweep against NU, Laput averaged 16.5 points as she linked up with Canino and Provido on scoring.
Given DLSU’s struggles in the past two seasons, there was a different sense of fulfillment as they led the Lady Spikers to their 13th UAAP Women’s Volleyball championship.
“Talagang kailangan namin dalhin ‘yung mga bata that we want and the maturity that the coaches want from us. Sobrang fulfilling lang kasi nagawa na namin! And ‘yun talaga ‘yung goal namin as Batch 122,” Canino said.
“Talagang goal namin is bago ang lahat-lahat, gusto naming ibigay kay coach ‘yung gusto niyang mangyari sa La Salle so happy kami na nagawa namin.”
If this was indeed their last dance, they would have the full blessing of de Jesus, being a mentor who wants nothing but the best for his players. Case in point, there is current Farm Fresh spiker Jolina Dela Cruz, who RDJ even urged to turn professional after their Season 85 title run.
“Never akong nakipag-usap sa mga players na mag-stay ka. Minsan may mga nagsasabi sa akin like nung batch ni Jolina. Sabi niya na, ‘Coach, kung kailangan mo pa ako mag-stay, mag-stay ako’,” de Jesus bared.
“Sabi ko ito ‘yung perfect timing para mag-pro ka na. Kasi marami naman ako mga recruit noong time na ‘yun. Pero ‘yung magcoconvince, siguro may mga ibang tao na pwede kumausap sa kanila, pero ako, hindi.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.
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Frequently Asked Questions
It remains undecided. Canino said the entire Batch 122 group — herself, Amie Provido, Shevana Laput, and Lyka de Leon — is still deciding on their fifth year and did not participate in the Archer Stance graduation tradition after Season 88.
The Archer Stance is a tradition where graduating DLSU Lady Spikers seniors gather in the middle of the team circle to bid farewell. No players entered the circle after Season 88, signaling the senior batch’s decision was still undecided.
Angel Canino won her third-straight Best Outside Hitter award after leading DLSU in scoring with 226 points, averaging 16.5 points per game during the elimination round.
Shevana Laput won her second-straight Best Opposite award while serving as team captain, and Amie Provido won Best Middle Blocker after also gaining experience with the national team.
Yes, de Jesus said he encouraged former player Jolina Dela Cruz to turn professional after DLSU’s Season 85 title run, noting he never asks players to stay and instead lets them make their own decisions.
