Shevana Laput challenged to work harder after MVP showing for La Salle

La Salle’s Shevana Laput wins the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals MVP. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Shevana Laput is honored to be able to make a big leap from a role player during her rookie year to a Most Valuable Player to help La Salle sans Angel Canino rule the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals.

The 6-foot-2 opposite spiker capped her impressive stint with her first MVP award, finishing a game-high 13 points in a do-or-die Game 3 as La Salle completed a Finals series comeback with a 25-19, 25-22, 25-17 win over Adamson on Sunday at FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.

But her emergence as an MVP is just a reminder to continue stepping up for the Lady Spikers and work harder.

“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 ‘reputation’ kind of thing,” said Laput.

The Filipino-Australian spiker, who averaged 20.3 points per game in the best-of-three finals series, deflected the credit to her teammates with setter Julia Coronel also stepping up to pace middle blockers Amie Provido and Thea Gagate as well as outside spiker Alleiah Malaluan.

“I feel honored but like I said, it was all because of my teammates. My teammates gave me that trust, they gave me that bose to hit and they gave the support. I could swing knowing that they’re there covering (for) me,” she said.

“I was and I wasn’t (surprised with the MVP award). Before, all my ates were like ‘Shev, it’s you, we all know that’ but I mean it kinda makes sense those so many Player of the Games. But still, it doesn’t mean I’m gonna get the MVP. But, it was a surprise then it wasn’t.”

6 out of 10

La Salle’s Shevana Laput in the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals finals Game 1. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Even her career game of 30 points went for naught after La Salle’s five-set collapse in Game 1, Laput took matters into her own hands in the do-or-die Game 2 with a team-high 18 points to sweep Adamson in straight sets and force a rubber match.

She remained confident that her team will win it all.

“I knew as a team that we’ll gonna get there. We worked hard and even though there was a loss, we still worked hard even after that. We developed our skills so I knew that that was coming,” she said.

After her breakthrough, the 19-year-old Laput anticipates that she will be a marked spiker heading to La Salle’s title defense in Season 86 next year, promising that she won’t stop improving.

“It’s just adjusting again. I’ll still improve as a player so they will also need to–like people also need to adjust to me still. But, it’s just me playing as myself,” Laput said.

“Honestly, on like– the TV on stats, it’s good but I know in myself that I could be so much better. That’s not the best version of me and there’s still so much more that I need to do. I’ll say like 6/10.”

“We need to defend the crown. Keep it in Taft so we’ll all gonna work harder, smarter, (and) puso,” she added.

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