Defending champion De La Salle is bracing for the worst and hoping for the best at the same time. 

The Taft-based squad has evidently been feeling reigning MVP Angel Canino’s absence as it gears up for a rematch against National University on Sunday, April 14. 

The Lady Spikers are riding on a crest of a seven-game winning streak with the squad crawling to the finish line of their past two games for a 9-1 slate in the standings. 

Canino sat out back-to-back games against University of the East and University of the Philippines after sustaining a right arm injury over the Holy Week break. 

With the young MVP out of the rotation, La Salle lost its reliable leader and was dragged to extended matches by the cellar dwellers before it could taste both victories. 

“With Angel gone, there’s 13 of us who need to step up. Gradually we are doing that. But this isn’t our peak, we are still working on ourselves. Of course, you can expect a lot more from us. Because like what coach [Noel Orcullo] said, that was a bad win. Still a win but there was so much more we could have done better,” said sophomore opposite spiker Shevana Laput.  

With NU peaking at the right time following its massive four-set win against top seed University of Santo Tomas in the second round, the battle for the precious twice-to-beat bonus has only gotten tougher for the La Salle side. 

In the first round, the Lady Spikers suffered a five-set loss to the Golden Tigresses while coming out the better side against the Lady Bulldogs — both with Canino carrying the fight for her side. 

“‘Yun nga siguro as of now, hinahanap pa rin talaga nila si Angel. Although andiyan naman siya [at the sidelines] but ‘yung presence niya inside the court ang hinahanap ng mga teammates niya. Si Angel bilang isang leader, napu-push niya ‘yung mga teammates niya. Sabi ko nga hindi lang dapat isa ‘yung mga leader or ang captain ball. Dapat maging leader kayo kahit sa sarili niyo,” said Orcullo. 

As of press time, Canino is still indefinitely out for the champion team but remains monitored day-by-day to ensure her recovery. 

With timing not on their side at the last stretch of the eliminations, La Salle is working on its mental strength to power through the rest of the games heading into the Final Four. 

“It’s more on mental. When we are playing unfocused and emotional, that’s what affects us physically, that’s what ruins us. But we have the skills, we have everything we need to win,” said Laput.