Cignal will be without two of its pillars when the 2020 PSL Imus City Mayor Maliksi Super Cup ‘Spike for a Cause’ goes into full swing on February 3, 5 and 6 at the Imus Sports Complex in Cavite.
The celebrated duo of Rachel Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga will miss the three-day tournament in order to focus on recovery from their respective fatigue-stricken conditions, as disclosed by head coach Edgar Barroga.
“Medyo hanggang ngayon hindi pa nakakapalo si Rachel. At the same time, si Jovelyn medyo nagpapakundisyon pa rin,” Barroga bared.
“Siguro napagod siya ng husto noong SEA Games.”
The Cignal mentor also said that Daquis has been experiencing numbness on her right shoulder due to a lack of conditioning brought about by the holiday lull.
“Siguro noong natigil ‘yung liga, medyo napabayaan niya ‘yung workout niya, nagbakasyon siya sa Germany. Kapag gan’un kasi medyo bumabalik ‘yung parang mafo-frozen ‘yung kanyang shoulder. So ‘yun, nire-rehab namin hanggang ngayon,” added Barroga.
Still, fans can rest assured that both Gonzaga and Daquis will be attending the matches to cheer on the HD Spikers in the pre-season tournament, which will generate relief donations for those affected by the Taal eruption.
Cignal will also march to battle without its reinforcement, Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani. The American-bred outside hitter has yet to arrive in the country, much less to the team’s fold.
Given these developments, Barroga admitted that his wards are far from ready to participate in tournaments since the team has yet to train as a whole and thus, lack cohesiveness as unit.
But upon hearing that the event will be for a cause, Cignal did not hesitate to lend a helping hand.
“Noong una parang ayaw namin kasi hindi kami ready, pero noong sinabi na spike for a cause, lalong lalo na nga para sa Taal victim natin, ayun. Naging excited kami, iniisip namin kung paano kami makakatulong,” recalled Barroga, who also lost the services of Mylene Paat and Janine Navarro.
“Pero, definitely, hindi hundred percent ang magiging performance ng team because of… Sabihin nating wala pang preparation.”
The rejigged HD Spikers will be thrown into the fire right off the bat, though. They will be the first to test mettle of the budding stars from Western Japan on February 3, Monday.
