Reigning MVP Angel Canino and league-leading scorer rookie Casiey Dongallo expressed mutual excitement over their first matchup in the early eliminations of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday, March 6. 

In a highly-anticipated showdown between the young MVP and the rising star, defending champion De La Salle came out the better side against University of the East in straight sets for its fourth win against a lone defeat. 

The Lady Warriors, sans their temporarily suspended head coach Jerry Yee, dropped their fourth consecutive game for a 1-4 slate. 

Canino delivered a game-high 17 points off 16 attacks made in the brief affair while Dongallo was limited to a career-low 15 markers. 

Even with the result, Canino, 19, reigning Rookie of the Year and MVP had a blast going up against the league-leading scorer and current top candidate of the awards she just won last season. 

“It was fun. Kasi parang tinitingnan rin namin kung paano siya maglaro. Actually, sobrang natuwa rin ako kasi nakalaban na namin siya finally,” Canino said. 

Prior to their encounter in the first round of the tournament, La Salle and UE seemed to be the only two squads which didn’t cross paths in the offseason, which is what Dongallo was looking forward to when she made her UAAP debut. 

“Playing against her, magaling si ate Angel,” Dongallo said. 

“Sabi sa akin ni ate Kizzie [Madriaga] nung naiangat niya ‘yung palo ni ate Angel ‘ang bigat pala ng palo niya.’ Parang every palo niya wala kaming nakukuha eh. Lahat ‘yun puntos. Nakakatuwa [na makalaro sila] kasi sila lang ‘yung team na hindi namin nakalaro nung preseason. Ngayon pa ito na,” she detailed. 

The 18-year-old freshman, who played as a middle blocker in the rotation instead of her usual outside hitter position, averaged 26 points in her first four games including a 30-piece in UE’s five-set defeat against Far Eastern University last Feb. 25.

Dongallo’s solid output ultimately bested Canino’s 28-point performance from last year to become the highest scoring UAAP rookie. 

While the Lady Spikers continue their title-retention bid, the Dongallo-led Lady Warriors are pleased with their decent showing so far despite the obvious disparity on paper between them and the top contenders.

“Feeling ko as a player, para sa akin mataas pa rin score na nakuha ko. Kasi ang hirap makakuha ng puntos sa La Salle kasi ang tatangkad nila. Tapos pag tatalon ka na, akala mo dalawa lang pero may tatlong blockers pala. Compared sa ibang games ko, yes, mababa siya. Pero hindi ko siya tine-take na negative kasi knowing La Salle talaga parang malalakas sila kahit sino [sa team],” Dongallo said. 

“Facing [strong] teams, we have nothing to lose. Everything to gain. We just have to give our all.” 

UE, though, is due for another tough climb when it faces last season’s finalist National University on Sunday, March 10, while La Salle tackles winless University of the Philippines on the same day.