Months after a knee injury forced her to beg off competitive volleyball, University of Santo Tomas Tigresses veteran Pam Lastimosa is now back in action.
An ACL tear in the left knee had sidelined Lastimosa all throughout UAAP Season 78 — the season that should have been her final year with the black-and-gold squad.
But now that she has overcome a major setback in her young career, Lastimosa is more than eager to get back on the court and play to boost her Alma Mater’s firepower.
“Syempre excited akong maglaro, [and] it feels so great na panalo kami,” said Lastimosa moments after UST swept Coast Guard in their 13th Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference affair on Monday night.
With her knee all healed, and with no signs of slowing down, Lastimosa has decided to put her injury behind her.
“Hindi ko na iniisip ang injury ko. Iniisip ko ang game lang and nag-focus ako sa game.
“Actually before the game nagjo-joke kami ng teammates ko na, ‘uy, first playing year ko sa V-League’ kasi first game ko nga after ilang months. So no pressure lang, laro lang talaga,” Lastimosa added.
Lastimosa admitted that a long layoff from competition has made her a little rusty, and also stressed that she is being careful with her comeback.
‘Mga first few weeks after ko makabalik from injury syempre naninibago pa sa skills and all. Actually hindi pa ako talaga sumasabak sa court like nagtra-transition, basic lang ginagawa ko — spike, receive. Hindi pa ako tumatalon. Siguro mga after a month doon na ako sumali sa drills,” she explained.
When asked about how well her recovery is coming, Lastimosa said that she is still not at a hundred percent, but reiterated that her injury is already healed and should be considered a thing of the past.
“Mga 50-60 percent pa lang kulang pa sa kundisyon. Physically napapansin ko naman na medyo mabigat pa pero psychologically wala na sa akin, hindi ko na iniisip.”
Now that she has rejoined the Tigresses, Lastimosa is more than ready to take on the leadership role, as she is deemed as one of the veterans in the squad.
“Siguro ‘yung role ko sa team is ako ‘yung nakikipag-usap sa kanila sa court. Ako ang nauuna makipag-communicate and motivation sa kanila,” she added.
As one of the team’s old-timers, Lastimosa reflects on the Tigresses’ composition, lamenting that the young squad should still develop both individually and as a unit.
“In my return mga bata na ‘yung naiwan, so siguro kailangan pa ng maturity lalo na sa laro,” she pointed out in conclusion.
