All is well between Cignal star Jau Umandal and Criss Cross ace Jude Garcia after their accidental collision that sent the former to the hospital late in Game 2 of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Finals last Friday.
Umandal revealed that the newly-crowned MVP reached out and apologized to him after Garcia inadvertently elbowed him in the head.
The Cignal star then fell to the ground and had to be stretchered out of the court late in the third set.
“Oo (nag-reach out siya). Para sa akin wala naman, walang personalan ‘yun,” said Umandal, who still finished with 18 points in the HD Spikers’ title-clinching Game 2 victory over the King Crunchers.
“Wala namang may gustong mangyari nun, aksidente eh, ‘di natin masasabi. Okay lang ‘yun, okay lang sa akin kasama sa laro talaga,” he added.
The former league MVP was immediately taken to the nearby Adventist Medical Center Manila where he underwent several tests.
Umandal, who shared that he felt dizzy after the accidental hit, said that his scans came out clean.
(C) Joaqui Flores/Spikers Turf
“Okay naman, nadala lang din sa laro. Nahilo lang ako nung nangyari ‘yun pero okay naman. Sa scan okay naman lahat, walang problema,” said Umandal, who was in attendance to watch his former team UST and younger brother Sherwin in the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Volleyball Team Finals on Saturday.
Umandal also expressed his gratitude to Bryan Bagunas and the rest of Cignal for fighting for him and securing the title following a 25-23, 27-25, 25-21 Game 2 win over Criss Cross at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
While he preferred to celebrate his first Spikers’ Turf championship with his teammates, the national team stalwart said that he’s just glad to finally break through after years of chasing the elusive crown.
“Siyempre sobrang sarap sa pakiramdam na may sasalo sa’yo. Nadisgrasya ka, pero may kasama kang sasalo sa’yo sa loob ng court,” said Umandal.
“Siyempre sobrang saya. Goal namin ‘yun eh, pinaghirapan namin. Kumbaga, wala man ako nung nanalo kami ng championship pero masaya ako kasi alam kong nagtagumpay kaming lahat,” he added.
Jau Umandal was stretchered out of Game 2 after being struck by an inadvertent elbow
Jonash Dannug/Tiebreaker Times#SpikersTurf2024 pic.twitter.com/yy0tjbXeuz
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) May 10, 2024
