Alas Pilipinas Women spiker Eya Laure was noticeably absent from the Philippines’ first two matches in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
Out of the 14 players on the roster, Laure remains the only one who has not yet stepped on the court. A minor abdominal injury has temporarily sidelined the 26-year-old outside hitter.
“Obviously, she’s recovering from a minor injury in her abs,” said Alas Pilipinas Women head coach Jorge Souza de Brito following the team’s semis-clinching win over Singapore on Friday.
De Brito explained that Laure began feeling pain in her abdominal area just days before the opening of the biennial meet. With the injury surfacing so close to the tournament, there was not enough time to revise the final roster—especially after a last-minute change when Alleiah Malaluan was replaced by Julia Coronel.
“She felt [uncomfort] when we were in the Philippines, so [there’s] not enough time to change [the lineup], we had one change already. But she’s good, she’ll be back. She’s here,” the Brazilian coach said.
A PVL free agent, Laure has been part of the national team pool since last year.
Despite her absence, Alas Pilipinas still managed to challenge the home team and defending champion Thailand before securing a win over Singapore, clinching their fifth straight semifinals berth.
De Brito added that Laure has already participated in drills during practice and is no longer experiencing pain.
While he did not provide a definite timetable, the Capital1 chief tactician said the former Chery Tiggo star is close to returning, though she will still need to earn her spot in the rotation.
“When she’ll be ready, she will be. Right now, she did today some spikes, she’s not feeling pain, so that’s it. That’s why she’s not playing now. Also again, when she comes back, she has to fight for her spot. But [there’s] another one to come,” he said.
The semifinals will begin on Sunday, with the Philippines set to face either Vietnam or Indonesia.
