The morning after their heartbreaker of a loss to unfancied UP side in the opener of the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference Season 2 Finals, the FEU Lady Tams could face a much bigger dilemma when they seek to even things up in Game Two tomorrow.
Celine Domingo, a gem of a hitter, blocker and server, is a doubtful starter after sustaining a knee injury early in the fifth set of their 25-14, 25-22, 24-26, 18-25, 5-15 loss late Sunday.
With FEU down, 1-5, in the decider, Domingo left the match after hurting her right knee, which has plica syndrome. The Lady Tams only managed to produce four more points after that as the fired-up Lady Maroons stormed to victory.
Before she moved out, Domingo turned in a second-best 16 points on nine hits, four aces, and three blocks.
“I am not allowed to bend my knee too much. But it got bent so I wasn’t able to stand up anymore,” said Domingo.
But team physical therapist Marilou Regidor has assured that it was not a major injury and all they had to do was manage her movements in training as her plica syndrome gets triggered by certain movements. A follow-up checkup yesterday, however, would determine if she would be allowed to suit up in the next game of their best-of-three series.
Whatever, the Lady Tamaraws will be prepared, assured playmaker Kyle Negrito.
“If she won’t be allowed to play, whoever is on the court must perform. Whoever will be tapped need not play like Celine. She only needs to be herself,” said Negrito.
The ace setter, meanwhile, said that their failed comeback bid in the third set cost them the game.
FEU took the first two sets but had to rally from a nine-point deficit, 16-7, in the third. They did, tieing the game at 23 and 24 behind Heather Guino-o, Jerilli Malabanan and Domingo. But UP’s Roselyn Rosier struck with an off-the-block hit and Guino-o sent an attack into the net.
It all went downhill from there as the Lady Maroons took charge and dominated the last year’s runners-up with power hits from Isa Molde, Marian Buitre and Rosier, putting the Diliman-based school to the cusp of a breakthrough crown in the league organized by Sports Vision.
“I thought we’d be able to get the third set but unexpectedly, and nobody wanted it to happen, an error was committed. We became down after that in the next two sets: we weren’t communicating anymore and it seemed like nobody wanted to fight. We were really affected by our third set loss,” said Negrito.