La Salle Lady Spikers sporting Nike Sabrina 1s in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Inspired by the tradition of their predecessors, the De La Salle Lady Spikers have been rocking customized pairs of Sabrina 1 in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.
Angel Canino and the defending champions have been turning heads with their green-and-white pair of the WNBA star’s signature shoes, which was customized through NikeByYou with their initials on it.
The star outside spiker, who won the Season MVP and Rookie of the Year last year, said the team decided to continue the tradition of the former Lady Spikers, who used to write their initials on their shoes during their time in the UAAP.
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“It was inspired by many many years ago with Lady Spikers when they wore shoes with their names or initials written on them,” Canino told Inquirer Sports.
“And our manager, Madam Claudia [Cojuangco], decided to make shoes designed for us and so we have something that symbolizes ourselves and for La Salle.”
Nike Sabrina 1 is the first signature shoe of New York Liberty’s Ionescu, who is a two-time WNBA All-Star and three-point shootout champion.
Canino said that she’s been a fan of Ionescu’s shoes even before La Salle had its customized pairs.
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“I’m really used to Sabrina. It’s really comfortable and light to wear; it feels like I’m not wearing anything at all,” she said.
Aside from La Salle, most Filipino volleyball players in the UAAP and PVL have been rocking basketball shoes like Kobes, Currys, LeBrons, and even the GT Cut line.
The 20-year-old Canino believes that basketball shoes’ tech features are helpful to their performance.
“[Basketball shoes] are a big help when playing volleyball, especially with all the different kinds of movements. So no matter what movement, the shoes feel light so it helps us move,” said Canino.
The Lady Spikers, who currently hold a 2-0 record in Season 86, also wore a recovery-focused fitness tracker that monitors the physical loads and measures the severity of strains during the game.