IT was an eventful week for University of Perpetual Help System DALTA with a sensational rookie in Shaila Omipon rising to the occasion for the Las Piñas-based team.
The Lady Altas capped off Week 4 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 98 women’s volleyball tournament unscathed, including victories over contenders Lyceum of the Philippines University and Mapua University, to close out their eliminations with an 8-1 win-loss card.
Perpetual Help booked a Final Four ticket after missing out last season. And the Lady Altas have Omipon to thank.
The first-year open spiker nailed a team-high 22 points, including the last two attacks, with six digs in their 25-21, 25-13, 25-22 triumph over the Lady Pirates last Friday.
She then churned out 13 points laced with 10 digs as Perpetual Help scored a 25-16, 25-19, 25-17 victory over the Lady Cardinals on Sunday, formalizing their No. 2 seeding behind defending champion De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
With her consistent performance, the 19-year-old Omipon was hailed the Collegiate Press Corps NCAA Player of the Week, a recognition presented by San Miguel Corp. and the Philippine Sports Commission with minor sponsors MNL Kingpin, Tinapayan Festival and Jockey.
Omipon edged Saint Benilde’s Jade Gentapa and Gayle Pascual and San Sebastian College-Recoletos’s Tina Marasigan for the weekly honor from the media group covering the league.
Perpetual Help head coach Sandy Rieta was not surprised by Omipon’s stellar run so far, stressing he trusts all his players as they eye to recover from a dismal seventh-place finish in Season 97.
“I’m used to Shaila performing well,” Rieta said. “I always tell my players that I trust them, so they need to trust themselves, too.”
The Lady Altas are hoping to keep their momentum in the stepladder semifinals starting this Sunday with the knockout match between Lyceum and Mapua.