MANILA, Philippines – The UST Golden Tigresses face an uphill climb ahead of a pivotal women’s volleyball campaign as key bench winger Xyza Gula is set to sit out the entire UAAP Season 87 due to complications from a tailbone fracture, the team revealed on Monday, February 10.
“As of press time and following another x-ray exam and evaluation, the pain has yet to subside, which led Gula [to miss] vital parts of our training,” read the team’s statement, explaining that their prized ward had an initial recovery timeline of five to eight weeks following an accidental fall last December.
“With this, it has been decided that she will not be in the UST lineup for the upcoming season because her health and her future as an athlete are far more important than our campaign,” the team said.
Breaking out in Season 86, Gula earned her fair share of admiration from UST fans for her relentless attacking mettle despite being an undersized spiker at just 5-foot-4.
Playing behind MVP candidate Angge Poyos, Gula earned the “magic bunot” (sixth man) distinction for her instant impact off the bench for the Golden Tigresses, who went all the way to the finals before bowing in a two-game series sweep against the favored NU Lady Bulldogs.
Gula joins fellow key cog Jonna Perdido on the injury list, with the latter also out for the season due to a left ACL tear.
Pursuing another finals berth and possible championship, UST, though shorthanded, is still expected to be a heavy Final Four contender against the likes of NU, La Salle, and FEU. – Rappler.com