She’s beautiful, tall and more importantly, she has the game.
Small wonder, La Salle incoming sophomore Shevana Laput is starting to carve a name for herself.
The just-concluded Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals validated her new-found status as one of the country’s rising stars after helping the Lady Spikers win the championship before the team’s adoring fans.
And for her solid and consistent showing, the 6-foot-2 Laput was easily selected as the first ever Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
“I feel honored but it was all because of my teammates. My teammates gave me that trust, they gave me that boost to hit and they gave the support. I could swing knowing that they’re there covering (for) me,” said Laput, sister of PBA center James from Magnolia Hotshots.
She was joined by teammates Thea Gagate (1st Middle Blocker), Amie Provido (2nd Best Middle Blocker) and Alleiah Malaluan (2nd Best Outside Hitter), Adamson’s Angelica Alcantara (Best Setter) as well as UST’s Angeline Poyos (1st Best Outside Hitter) and Bernadett Pepito (Best Libero) in the SSL Super Team.
Laput’s breakout performance came at a time when La Salle needed it the most following the graduation of the majority of its starting six in setter Mars Alba, middle blocker Fifi Sharma and team captain and outside spiker Jolina Dela Cruz.
In the SSL, the Lady Spikers also played without UAAP Rookie-MVP Angel Canino and ace libero Justine Jazareno but Laput delivered and helped La Salle win the crown, 2-1.
Laput,who also earned the Best Opposite Spiker award, registered 20.3 points in the finals highlighted by a tournament-high of 30 points in Game 1.
She posted 18 points in Game 2 then 13 points on 11 hits and two blocks in the winner-take-all Game 3, where La Salle ran away with a 25-22, 25-19, 25-17 to finish off Adamson.
But Laput is far from being a complete player that she envisions as she sets her sights on further improvement and development ahead of the UAAP Season 86, when she carries a larger target on her back as the SSL MVP.
“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. I need to work even harder, you know, now that there’s a ‘reputation’ kind of thing,” she beamed.
