NITURA: 'I'M HERE TO WIN, NOT SET ANY RECORDS'

(UPDATE) GRATEFUL as she is to have set the UAAP women's volleyball scoring record, Adamson super rookie Shaina Nitura insisted that her main goal is to win games for Lady Falcons and not set any records as they try to make the UAAP Season 87 Final Four.

Nitura posted the new league scoring record of 38 points in a 15-25, 25-15, 26-24, 22-25, 10-15 loss to the UP Fighting Maroons at the end of Season 87 first round action on March 16.

"Since the start of the UAAP, my goal has always been to win — not to focus on individual records or anything like that. But I'm still grateful for what I've achieved, and I know it's a blessing from God," said Nitura.

"It's a bonus, but the main goal remains the same: we want to win. We want to win games, not set records or anything else. Ultimately, we want to contribute to getting to the Final Four."

Nitura and the Lady Falcons snapped a four-game skid after blanking the UE Lady Warriors at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday, March 16 to rise to 3-5, sixth in the standings.

"It's a stepping stone to improve our game. It wasn't our best performance yet, and we're still looking for that rhythm where we all play well together as a team, with everyone stepping up."

No pressure

Nitura's 38-point outburst sent shockwaves all the way to pros as even PVL stars Alyssa Valdez and Sisi Rondina, who both held the previous scoring record of 35 points, sang praises to the 20-year-old rookie.

Nitura is grateful to have gained acknowledgement of those UAAP greats but isn't getting carried away, focused on her main goal which is to win.

"Of course, I'm grateful because the veterans, like the superstars of Philippine volleyball, have recognized what I'm doing. I'm really thankful for that. But at the end of the day, we still want to focus on winning and achieving victories, not just breaking records," said Nitura.

While Valdez said that Nitura will go on and break more UAAP records, she said she's not pressured of it at all, not giving too much energy about the compliment.

"No pressure at all. I don't really think about that stuff much because the more you focus on it, the more pressure it creates. If it's meant to happen, then it will; if not, it's okay. Our team's goal is to win, not to focus on breaking records."

2025-03-23T16:22:02Z