Sophomore spiker Shevana Laput impresses La Salle with huge improvement

MANILA, Philippines – La Salle Lady Spiker Shevana Laput’s rise in volleyball has been nothing short of astounding, as observed by many around her, as she continues to improve at an exponential rate.

As a rookie with no prior volleyball experience in UAAP Season 85, Laput became a dependable rotation player for coach Ramil de Jesus, and was even feted as the Collegiate Press Corps’ Player of the Week last April.

The latest in her trophy case is the Most Valuable Player honor from the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals – where she averaged 20.3 points during the championship series against Adamson, with La Salle taking home the crown.

“I mean it’s really great. It’s amazing. It’s an honor, like I said. But I guess this makes me feel like I need to step up even more,” Laput said after the 25-19, 25-22, 25-17 Game 3 victory on Sunday, August 13.

“I need to work even harder, you know, now that there’s ‘reputation’ kind of thing,” she added.

Assistant coach Noel Orcullo praised the Fil-Aussie spiker for being the most consistent player throughout the tournament.

Her Season 85 teammates were also impressed with the strides Laput had taken over the past year.

Former Lady Spiker Jolina dela Cruz raved how Laput honed her volleyball skills under de Jesus, who harnessed potential into tangible talent.

“[Laput] entered La Salle with zero [experience], and that’s the best kind of student because she still doesn’t have bad habits,” Dela Cruz said.

“You could see Shevana apply what coach had taught her and that’s the beauty of her game, she can adapt quickly,” she continued.

For reigning UAAP MVP Angel Canino, she is happy that many of her teammates, including Laput, got a much-needed confidence boost in their title retention bid.

“We won’t stop until we work hard for a [title,] we used the SSL as preparation to note our mistakes to help improve them by the UAAP.” – Rappler.com