Shaina Nitura and May Nuique hug it out after the Adamson Lady Falcons big win over NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament. –UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Fueled by heartbreaks, Shaina Nitura unleashed her fourth 30-point game as a rookie on Sunday, but this time she and the Adamson Lady Falcons finally ended up on the winning side.
Nitura unleashed 32 points to keep Adamson in the Final Four race, upsetting defending champion NU sans Alyssa Solomon, 25-23, 15-25, 28-26, 25-22, on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 volleyball tournament second round
The high-scoring rookie said they used all their close losses–the most recent a 36-point explosion that went for naught in the five-set loss to University of Santo Tomas last Wednesday–to learn and become tougher en route to the monumental upset.
“Our past games, where we kept losing, really helped us a lot because they made us stronger and hungrier for a win. We’re constantly being challenged—asking ourselves, ‘Is this really all we are? Or are we going to let this keep happening?’” said Nitura after recording 30 kills, two blocks, and 10 digs.
Adamson rookie Shaina Nitura and the Lady Falcons celebrate during a victory over the NU Lady Bulldogs in UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball.–UAAP PHOTO
“We just trust in God’s will and believe in how He’s molding us for the future He has prepared for us.”
The Rookie of the Year frontrunner, who had a record-breaking 38-point explosion in the first round, said she’s not focused on scoring production despite her mammoth outputs for Adamson.
READ: UAAP: Shaina Nitura, Adamson stay alive after shock win over NU
“There’s really no problem with most of the sets going to me,” said Nitura. “Like coach said, if that’s what it takes to win, then why not? We always talk about how everyone should be able to score, and we try to spread the ball around as much as possible.”
“The support system from the coaches is also really solid,” she added. “But I try not to let that get to my head or my heart. That’s not the goal—the goal is to win. Whether I score or not, whether I even get to play or not, as long as we win, that’s what matters. That’s what every team is really after.”
With Adamson still having a slim chance of making it to the Final Four with a 4-7 record, Nitura and the Lady Falcons won’t waste this big win over the defending champions.
“It’s a big confidence boost for the team—just believing in ourselves again and realizing we shouldn’t be underestimating what we can do,” said Nitura.
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“We know we have what it takes every game. It was really by God’s grace that we won, because in our past games, our confidence was starting to go down, and we were kind of losing hope.”
