MANILA, Philippines -- In just her first game in the UAAP women's division, De La Salle University rookie Angel Canino immediately proved that the hype surrounding her was well-warranted.

The young open spiker scattered 18 points in her first game for the Lady Spikers, where they outlasted University of Santo Tomas (UST), 25-20, 16-25, 25-8, 15-25, 16-14, on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

A crowd of nearly 7,000 fans watched as Canino scored in a variety of ways, including an unstoppable frontline kill in the first set that drew impressed gasps from viewers both at the venue and online. Eight of Canino's points came in the first set, as she sparked La Salle's comeback from a 3-12 deficit.

Her prolific display got the attention of some of the game's greats, including three-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Alyssa Valdez who gave Canino a shoutout on Twitter.

Angel Canino 🔥

— Alyssa Valdez (@AlyssaValdez2) February 26, 2023

An MVP in the juniors level for La Salle-Zobel, the 19-year-old Canino said it was a dream come true for her to finally play under the bright lights of the MOA Arena, especially as she was made to wait for her seniors debut by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Sobrang happy ko po kasi dream ko 'to eh, dream ko makapaglaro sa MOA, makapaglaro sa UAAP especially college po," said Canino, who was also credited with 11 excellent receptions in the match.

"And now, andito na po ako and I didn't expect na ganito po ako, na ganito 'yung kalalabasan ng game," she added.

• MATCH RECAP: La Salle outlasts UST in 5-set thriller to open Season 85 campaign

Canino got ample back-up from veteran Jolina dela Cruz (14 points, 10 receptions, 10 digs), and Leila Cruz (12 points including five blocks). They also benefited from UST's error-prone ways: the Tigresses committed 35 miscues, including back-to-back attack errors in the fifth set that ultimately handed the Lady Spikers the win.

The La Salle rookie was pleased to see their composure in the closing stretch, especially after the Tigresses pulled ahead 13-12 on a quick hit by Janna Torres. But off a timeout, dela Cruz fired a hit off the UST blockers to tie the deciding set, and the Lady Spikers won three of the next four rallies as the Tigresses succumbed to their errors.

"Nasa isip ko lang po talaga, atin 'to. Atin 'to. Papakita po namin kung sino kami sa Lady Spikers," Canino said of their mindset in the fifth frame. "Kung anong kaya namin, ipu-push namin 'yung sarili namin kasi alam ko po, alam namin na may maipu-push kami sa sarili namin sa team."

"'Yun talaga yung nakapagpanalo sa amin sa fifth set kasi pinush din namin 'yung sarili namin to the limit at binigay namin lahat," she added.

Noel Orcullo, who is calling the shots for La Salle in lieu of Ramil de Jesus, kept Canino's debut in perspective and stressed that their young star has plenty more to work on.

"Actually, okay naman, pero marami pang kulang, so we have to adjust pagdating ng training. At least, nagkaroon na ng confidence," he said. "Nakalaro ng una tapos ganito 'yung game na intense. At least confidence-building ito."

La Salle returns to action on Wednesday against the University of the Philippines (0-1) at the MOA Arena.

UAAP Season 85 is streaming on iWantTFC every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, available for Premium users outside the Philippines.

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