THE UST Golden Tigresses are finding silver linings after a tough Season 87 ending, as injured spikers Jonna Perdido and Xyza Gula begin easing their way back to action ahead of the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Preseason Championship.
Perdido, who suffered a full ACL tear in her left knee during the same preseason tournament last December, is eight months into recovery and has returned to partial ball training.
“Okay naman po ‘yung rehab ngayon. Sumasali na po ako sa ball training, pero defense lang po,” the outside hitter told The Flame.
(My rehabilitation is going well. I’ve started joining ball training, but only for defense.)
“Receive and service na standing and spike. I also just started doing stationary blocks yesterday,” she added.
The road back has been anything but easy for Perdido, who admitted that the first two months post-surgery were the hardest.
“Grabe ‘yung struggles noong first two months. Hanggang ngayon meron pa rin. Every exercise, parang hindi ko siya ma-execute kasi sumisikip ‘yung tuhod. So far, walang sakit, pero ‘yung sikip lang talaga na doon palagi,” she said.
(The first two months were really tough. Even now, the struggles are still there. With every exercise, I feel like I can’t execute it properly because my knee feels tight. So far, there’s no pain, but the tightness is always there.)
Although she won’t be suiting up in the Shakey’s Super League set to take action on Sept. 20, Perdido remains hopeful of making her full return once the UAAP season kicks off.
“Hindi pa po ako makakabalik sa Shakey’s. Pero by Season 88, sana po. Sana, Lord!” Perdido said.
(I will not be able to return in the Shakey’s preseason tournament yet. But I hope in Season 88. Please, Lord!)
Meanwhile, graduating outside spiker Gula continues to regain confidence after fracturing her tailbone eight months ago.
While her body is physically ready, she admitted the mental challenge of reintegrating into the Tigresses’ system lingers.
“So far, I feel physically ready. But mentally, I’m still thinking about how I can reintegrate into the team’s system,” the sparkplug said.
Gula has also begun sharpening her offense during practice sessions and is eyeing a possible return in the preseason tournament once UST’s lineup is finalized. F
