Removed from competitive volleyball for almost two years due to multiple ACL injuries, newly-minted BanKo Perlas Spiker Ana Gopico was finally set for a comeback on Sunday.
But as she graced the Taraflex of the FilOil Flying V Centre, Gopico couldn’t help but feel jittery.
“Kabado pa ako kasi one year din akong ‘di nakatapak ng Arena eh,” she said.
She had to shrug off the nerves quickly, though. BanKo head coach Apichat Kongsawat pulled her off the bench in the second set, where Petro Gazz went on a scoring onslaught.
Though her team lost the second frame, and she went scoreless the rest of the way, the 5-foot-10 spiker provided the extra motivation that helped BanKo win the match.
“Medyo wala akong contribution kanina,” Gopico admitted.
“Kahit di ako naka-score, as much as possible, I tried to uplift my teammates na makakabawi tayo agad.”
For her team captain Nicole Tiamzon, Gopico’s efforts did not go for naught. As Tiamzon put it, “Sobrang good vibes ni Ana.”
After suffering an injury in the UAAP Season 80 Beach Volleyball tournament, there is no question that there is still a long road ahead for Gopico in order to get back to her peak form.
However, she made it known that she is vehemently working to regain footing.
“Siguro, almost halfway siguro. Marami pa akong hahabulin [sa recovery] for sure,” she said.
