Dindin Santiago-Manabat sat helplessly on the bench as Chery Tiggo absorbed its second consecutive defeat in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference, Tuesday afternoon.
Santiago-Manabat, who injured her ankle in a tuneup match prior to the tournament, skipped the team’s second consecutive game after being diagnosed with a grade three ankle sprain last Monday.
“Kahapon kasi kahapon ako nag MRI. Kahapon din yung results so ayun, grade three pala,” Santiago-Manabat said.
Grade three ankle sprains take four to six weeks to recover from.
It was a heart-breaking sight for the 28-year-old opposite hitter as her side absorbed their second straight loss, 25-18, 25-19, 25-14, at the hands of PLDT to open the season.
“Sa ngayong nangyayari, gusto kong tumulong e. Sa sobrang gusto kong maka-balik parang hindi ko na nararamdaman yung sakit ng paa ko,” said Santiago-Manabat, who injured her left ankle during a scrimmage prior to the tournament.
“Parang nakakalakad na ako, parang pwede na. Sobrang gusto ko talagang tumulong e kasi naririnig ko sila, ‘Ate! Balik ka na!’ So parang ako nai-inspire ako na onti na lang, lalaban tayo, magsasama tayo, mabubuo tayo.”
Aside from Santiago-Manabat, Chery Tiggo also missed the services of EJ Laure, Buding Duremdes, Alina Bicar, and Justine Dorog for the second consecutive time due to health and safety protocols.
While her return to the taraflex remains uncertain, Santiago-Manabat said that she is already making some progress in her recovery. However, she is still leaving her fate up to the team’s strength and conditioning team.
“Kahapon lang ako nag tanggal ng aircast para hindi ko na rin siya babyhin. Nakakapaglakad na ako, wala ng aircast so yun, start na siguro ng progress ko kahit papaano kasi wala na akong aircast, nakakapaglakad na ako, pero hindi pa straight. Ika ika pa,” she shared.
“Basta ako, kung hanggang saan [yung recovery] na makakaya na makakabalik ako. Siyempre tiwala ako sa strength and conditioning namin, kung hanggang saan niya kakayanin, kung paano mama-magic na makakaabout ako sa liga.”
