WHEN the going got tough, Adamson University and University of Santo Tomas made sure to get going in the home stretch of their respective Final Four bids in the 87th UAAP women’s and men’s volleyball tournaments.
Lady Falcons rookie-captain Shaina Nitura and the Growling Tigers’ two-time reigning MVP Josh Ybañez reminded the rest of the field that they are more than just big names. They have big games, too.
Nitura and Ybañez got the better of their MVP challengers and potential Final Four rivals this week. As a result, the hard-hitting duo was recognized as the Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Players of the Week, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, for the period of April 2 to 6.
Nitura’s remarkable feat was the accumulation of back-to-back 30-point performances and her fourth in 11 games thus far, surpassing any other player in UAAP women’s volleyball history in a single season.
The 20-year-old rookie-skipper’s most recent standout performance was a near triple-double, where she amassed 36 points, 11 digs and nine receptions in a 25-18, 23-25, 22-25, 7-25, 15-8 five-set loss to UST.
Subsequently, Nitura orchestrated the Lady Falcons’ biggest win of the season yet by beating reigning MVP Bella Belen and defending champion National University in four sets 25-23, 15-25, 28-26, 25-22.
This triumph prevented the San Marcelino side from suffering its seventh consecutive loss in their its eight games, one that would have knocked it from the Final Four race.
Even as she builds a name for herself as a serial record-breaker, Nitura refuses to bask on the glory of blazing a historic trail in a one-of-a-kind rookie year.
The only outcome that counts for Nitura? Winning and nothing more.
“‘Di kopotalagasiyapinapansin [yung records]. Hindi kopo ‘yunmasyadonilalagaysautakko at sa heart ko. Hindi namanpo ‘yun ‘yung goal dahil ‘yung goal po, manalo,” said Nitura, who bested La Salle pair Angel Canino and Mikole Reyes, UST duo AnggePoyos and Cassie Carballo, and Far Eastern University’s FaidaBakanke for the weekly citation backed by minor sponsors Discovery Suites and World Balance.
“Sobrangnakatulongpoyung past games naminnapuronga kami talokasipinapatibaytalaga kami and mas nagugutomsapanalo. Lagi kami china-challenge na ‘itolangbatalaga kami’ o ‘hahayaanbanaminna mag-continue ito,’” she added.
Not even a two-week injury layoff from a Grade 2 ankle sprain earlier this season could slow Ybañez down in the men’s tilt as he continues to flex his MVP form in the midst of a three-game win streak.
