De La Salle’s Shevana Laput showed flashes of her brilliance following her first start for the Lady Spikers in their swift victory over the skidding University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the second round of the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament.

Despite seeing limited minutes for the top seed in their previous games, Laput came through with nine points behind fellow rookie Angel Canino’s 17-point outing for their 10th win of the season.

Reigning champion National University’s win over Far Eastern University, though, allowed La Salle to clinch the first Final Four seat.

Together with the 6-foot-1 opposite spiker’s timely boost, the Taft-based squad closed in on one of the two coveted twice-to-beat incentives going into the semifinals.

Top seed La Salle Lady Spikers look to secure one of the two twice-to-beat incentives. (UAAP Media)

“Expected naman na namin. After the Holy Week, tinutukan na namin siya. Expected naman namin na magde-deliver siya. Kailangang mag-build ng confidence going to the [end] of the second round. Just in case pagdating ng semifinals or makarating ng finals, andoon na ‘yong confidence niya every time na gamitin namin siya, magde-deliver,” said assistant coach Noel Orcullo.

Laput, for her part, was honored to be chosen by the returning head tactician Ramil De Jesus to start for the team in this period of the tournament.

“It was great. It was like, it shows I’ve developed and improved as a player. And the coaches trust my abilities to be played as the first six. It’s great and it’s an honor,” Laput said.

La Salle, which is coming off a painful first loss at the hands of University of Santo Tomas before the break, is not too worried about the setback.

With a convincing win that followed, Orcullo is certain that the Lady Spikers took the lessons from the upsetting loss.

“After the game noong sa UST, ‘yon din ‘yong sinabi sa kanila [players] na at least kahit papaano makaranas kung paano babangon. So, after Holy Week [sinabi] sa kanila na kalimutan na ‘yong nangyari, ito kailangan tayo bumalik. Big bounce back ba,” Orcullo said.

Last time the Lady Spikers swept their way to the finals in Season 76, they bid their dream four-peat title goodbye after falling to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their best-of-three championship matchup.

Canino, who has continued to breach the double-digit mark in her 11-straight outing for La Salle, was happy that the team was quick to put the loss behind and come out of it significantly better.

“Sobrang nakaka-proud lang din kasi nga galing kami sa talo. So, sobrang laki ng lesson noong past agme namin and hindi kami papayag na gano’n lang. Kung ano ‘yong pinakita namin ito na kami, ‘yong bagong kami," Canino said.

"Happy kasi pinaghirapan namin to. Since last season pinaghirapan talaga naming iangat ‘yong team namin every day, every game kaya lumabas naman ‘yong result ng hard work namin and sacrifices namin para sa team,” she added.