(UPDATE) AS far as De La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo is concerned, the Lady Spikers are still longing and missing the on-court presence of their ace Angel Canino badly.
Orcullo stressed that the defending champs are looking for that leader figure in the injured Canino aside from the fact that she's been the go-to girl of the Lady Spikers in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament and the season before.
This is the reason why La Salle struggled in its past two games including its 25-23, 21-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12 win over the UE Lady Warriors at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, April 9.
"I think right now, they're still looking for Angel. They're looking for her because as a leader, she's able to pull her teammates up and make them push themselves to play better," said Orcullo.
"Right now, we only have a few on-court leaders. I told them last night, we can't afford to have only one leader. It can't be the captain ball (Julia Coronel) only. We should all be leaders. You have all to be leaders in your own right."
Canino showed up in La Salle's past two games — the first against University of the Philippines last Thursday and against University of the East (UE) on Tuesday — albeit she was reduced to an expectator due to her right arm injury caused by a "non-volleyball-related accident."
Against the Fighting Maroons, Canino was wearing a sling and her right arm was heavily wrapped. Opposite the Lady Warriors, Canino's right arm was still wrapped albeit she's no longer wearing a sling.
Orcullo, whose La Salle improved to a league-best (at least as of press time) 9-1 win-loss card with 26 points after its win over UE, said that Canino is starting to make progress in her recovery.
"As per my last interview, I said that she's being monitored day-by-day. Hopefully, she heals fast. She's starting to make progress, and she's taking therapy already for her arm. Let's just see when she will recover."
Canino was averaging 16.3 points per match on top of 5.75 excellent receptions and 4.75 digs before her injury.
In Canino's absence, Thea Gagate stepped up and fired 22 points on three blocks, two service aces and 17 attacks, including the clincher.
Shevana Laput and Alleiah Malaluan also came through with 21 and 12 points, respectively, as La Salle extended its winning run against UE to 28 games dating back to Season 70 in 2008.
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