Just days after completing one of the most dominant championship runs in recent UAAP history, De La Salle University made it clear that its reign may only be getting started.
The Lady Spikers’ championship core led by Angel Canino has officially decided to return for one final season, keeping intact the same group that steamrolled through UAAP Season 88 without losing a single match.
During a courtesy call with La Salle president Bro. Bernie Oca, FSC at Henry Sy Sr. Hall on Tuesday, team captain Shevana Laput confirmed that “Batch 122” would stay together for Season 89.
“As for we wish to continue this legacy, we want to stay for one more year,” said Laput during the gathering attended by campus journalists.
Joining Laput in the announcement were fellow cornerstone players Canino, Amie Provido, and Lyka De Leon — effectively preserving the heart of the squad that reclaimed the UAAP women’s volleyball crown.
Their return instantly transforms La Salle into the early favorite to repeat next season.
More importantly, it gives “Batch 122” one last opportunity to further strengthen what is already shaping up to be one of the defining eras in Lady Spikers history.
The group first captured a championship as rookies in Season 85 before completing a redemption-driven return to the top this year, sweeping the eliminations and dismantling defending champion National University in back-to-back straight-set victories in the Finals.
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ONE MORE YEAR FOR BATCH 122
Angel Canino, Shevana Laput, Amie Provido and Lyka de Leon are all staying for UAAP Season 89, as first reported by The LaSallian. #UAAPSeason88 @spinph pic.twitter.com/9Xvy2GC0j6
— John Mark Garcia (@johnmarkdg_) May 12, 2026
For many observers, signs of the players’ return were already quietly unfolding during La Salle’s traditional “Archer’s Stance” celebration after winning the championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Normally reserved for departing seniors, the symbolic center spot remained empty — a subtle hint that no farewell was coming just yet.
Even then, the players stayed careful about publicly confirming their plans.
Three days later, the mystery was officially gone.
The returning core also brings back nearly every major individual award won by La Salle this season.
Laput, who famously entered collegiate volleyball without prior competitive experience, capped her remarkable rise by winning Finals MVP honors after averaging 15.5 points in the title series, highlighted by a 20-point performance in the clincher.
Canino continued her dominance on the wing by earning her third Best Outside Spiker award, while Provido secured a second straight Best Middle Blocker recognition.
Laput likewise captured her second consecutive Best Opposite Spiker plum, while De Leon previously established herself as one of the league’s top floor defenders after winning Best Libero honors in Season 87.
Now fully intact and armed with another year of chemistry, experience, and championship confidence, La Salle’s title-winning machine is preparing for one more run — and perhaps an even bigger legacy.
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