Angel Canino’s triple-double show and De La Salle University’s solid blocking force in its playoff match against the University of Santo Tomas last April 30 propelled the Lady Spikers closer to the championship round in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball.

Team captain Canino, a former Rookie of the Year-MVP, pumped 24 points, 10 digs and 12 excellent receptions, to power DLSU’s victory for the second seed over UST’s Golden Tigresses, 23-25, 25-20, 30-28, 29-27, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With the win, DLSU will head into the Final Four enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage over UST. They will meet again on May 3, 6 p.m., at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum after defending champion National University takes on fourth-seeded Far Eastern University at 2 p.m.

The Lady Spikers lived up to their moniker “Taft Towers,” generating 20 kill blocks over UST’s 8, which ultimately spelled the difference during the closing moments of the fourth set.

Great blocking

“Our blocking was great today,” DLSU assistant coach Noel Orcullo said in Filipino at the postgame press conference. “[Our players] can now read [attack patterns]. Somehow the trainings we had for blocking showed when it mattered the most, and they are following instructions.”

Middle blocker Amie Provido tallied a game-high 5 blocks, followed by sophomore standout Lilay del Castillo with 4 rejections at the net. Shevana Laput contributed 22 markers.

“We draw strength from our losses, knowing that those performances were not our best,” Provido said. She credited the coaching staff for building up her confidence toward her stellar performance.

Laput commended the team’s mental toughness, especially after suffering back-to-back losses from the University of the Philippines and FEU, respectively, to close the elimination round.

“We fought for this,” Laput said. “We definitely put our hearts out, everything out, because we know we need this, this twice-to-beat. This is our best opportunity, and of course I’m super proud of all of us, that we all contributed to this win.”

Canino, the 5-foot-11 spiker, has been a powerhouse in DLSU’s outings against UST, averaging 25.3 points, 13.3 digs, and 13.6 excellent receptions in its three contests with the España-based squad.

Angge Poyos, the reigning Rookie of the Year, backed the unrelenting UST squad, also putting up a triple-double—24 points, 13 digs, and 12 receives—while playmaker Cassie Carballo, Season 87’s Best Setter, tossed 28 excellent sets on top of 5 markers.

After dropping a nip-and-tuck opening set, DLSU asserted itself late in the second frame. Laput’s sharp attack from the right pin ignited an 8-2 run leading to a 6-point cushion, 20-14.

Steadier

While UST capitalized on errors to trim the gap at two, DLSU proved to be steadier. An attack from Baby Jyne Soreño put the Lady Spikers at set point and a miscommunication among the Tigresses evened up the game at one set apiece.

With DLSU down 23-24 at the third set, a misfire from the service line by UST’s Pia Abbu led to an extended play, with back-to-back hits from Canino pushing her team to the driver’s seat with a 2-1 set advantage.

UST started to rally early in the fourth as Carballo sparked a 5-0 bomb to keep the Lady Spikers at bay, 13-17.

Following a slew of errors by the Tigresses, the Lady Spikers crawled back with a 5-0 run of their own capped by a denial from Provido, to put the game on deadlock at 22. A costly blunder from Laput put UST at set point again, 22-24.

With the Taft-based crew’s back against the wall, Malaluhan scored two consecutive points to bring the set to a deuce. A block from Lilay del Castillo set up Laput for redemption as she hit the final point to seal the victory.

Orcullo said that although the Lady Spikers are ahead in their virtual best-of-three against the Tigresses, the real challenge lies in finishing the job and getting back to the Finals, a feat they were denied by the Tigresses in Season 86.

“We only got the twice-to-beat but it is in heading to the actual semifinals that we have the advantage. We have to hold on to this advantage,” Orcullo said.

Last year, DLSU experienced an untimely exit after UST edged the then defending champion in a five-set thriller, sending them to a bronze medal finish.

Now with the script flipped to their favor, it’s somehow payback time for DLSU. “Especially with the people in the lineup last season, we rewrote our story.” Laput said. “With this new team, we know that we can go all the way to the end, and this is just a confidence-booster that only shows that we’re capable.”

‘In our hands’

UST head coach Emilio “Kungfu” Reyes said he and his stalwarts will come back swinging for another chance to compete in the Final Four. “It’s in our hands to make all the possible corrections that we will bring to our game this Saturday,” he said in Filipino in a postgame interview.

For DLSU’s Provido, she and her colleagues still have a lot to work to do in polishing their gameplay before their next assignment, especially with the season winding down to its final moments.

“That will be the start of the real fight,” she said.