MANILA — Four of the country’s most outstanding collegiate volleyball stars — De La Salle University’s Angel Canino, National University’s Leo Ordiales, Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s Lara Silva, and College of Saint Benilde’s Reymark Betco — will be honored tonight as the 2026 Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) Awards recognizes the season’s top performers following their championship-winning campaigns.
The four athletes will receive Volleyball Player of the Year honors during the 2026 CPC Awards Night at Discovery Suites Manila in Pasig City after spearheading their respective schools to memorable title runs in the UAAP and NCAA.
Canino and Ordiales will be named the UAAP Volleyball Players of the Year after leading their teams to Season 88 championships, while Silva and Betco will receive the NCAA Volleyball Players of the Year awards for their stellar performances during Season 101.
Bacolod’s Canino powered De La Salle back to the top as the Lady Spikers completed a flawless 16-0 campaign en route to their 13th UAAP women’s volleyball championship.
She scored 17 points, collected nine digs, and made five excellent receptions in Game 1 of the Finals before tallying 11 points, 10 digs, and 10 excellent receptions in the title-clinching win over National University. Canino also kept La Salle’s championship bid on track earlier in the season while Finals MVP Shevana Laput was sidelined.
Negrense standout Ordiales once again proved to be National University’s offensive anchor in the UAAP men’s Finals. He erupted for 22 points in the Bulldogs’ five-set Game 1 victory over Far Eastern University before delivering 24 points in Game 2 to earn Finals MVP honors as NU captured its sixth consecutive UAAP men’s volleyball title and seventh overall.
The NCAA awardees likewise played pivotal roles in ending long championship droughts for their respective schools.
Ilongga Lara Silva anchored Letran’s defense throughout the women’s championship series against Benilde. The three-time NCAA Best Libero recorded 37 digs in the Lady Knights’ five-set Game 1 victory, followed it up with 24 digs and seven excellent receptions in Game 2, and capped the series with 33 digs in the deciding Game 3 as Letran captured its first NCAA women’s volleyball championship in 28 years and ninth overall.
Betco, meanwhile, spearheaded Benilde’s successful title drive in the NCAA men’s division. He erupted for 26 points and nine digs in Game 1 against Mapua, exploded for 33 points in Game 2, and added 17 points and six digs in the Blazers’ straight-set victory in the winner-take-all Game 3 to clinch Finals MVP honors.
Benilde’s triumph ended a nine-year title drought and secured the program’s second NCAA men’s volleyball championship./PN
