Does Bersola’s ACL injury doom UP’s magical season?

UP’s Kathy Bersola being interviewed by ABS-CBN Sports’ Gabby Dario: Happier times for the Lady Maroons (Photo: Cesar Bailen, Jr.)

They are/were the ultimate overachievers.

When the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons began their campaign in the UAAP Season 77 women’s volleyball competition, many observers installed them as one of the most promising teams of the tournament. But to finish the first round of eliminations at third place behind last season’s finalists De La Salle University (DLSU) and Ateneo is bordering on surreal.

I mean, yes, the Dilimanians have now fully embraced the system of iconic high school coach Jerry Yee and their defense has been a prime catalyst in the noise they’ve created thus far. Yes, skipper Nicole Tiamzon is a bonafide open spiker—many are still used to seeing her as the squad’s setter. Yes, the youngsters in Arielle Estrañero, Jewel Lai and Yen Ilustre have been displaying consistency.

But to defeat contenders such as the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the resurgent Adamson University while stretching last year’s bronze medalists the National University (NU) and the defending champion Lady Eagles to the full route speaks volumes of the zeal and resolve and the character-building triumph over the Lady Falcons—22-25, 25-21, 29-27, 34-32—is an attestation to what the program has turned into: a potential Final Four team.

At what cost, though?

Kathy Bersola, the team’s six-foot burly defensive anchor and pulse went down in that fourth set struggle.

She went up for a quick hit—and didn’t even jump that high—then landed awkwardly and crumbled to the floor clutching her left knee, distraught and in severe pain.

I was there.

It happened about ten feet away from I was seated. She instantly turned pale as if realizing that something had gone horribly wrong.

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The reigning UAAP Best Blocker (tantamount to Defensive Player of the Year) could not straighten her left leg and was stretchered to the sidelines where a team of physical therapists attended to her. After a few minutes, and with no sign of any alleviation on her part, Bersola was once again placed on the stretcher this time to be whisked off to the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City.

You gotta hand it to Tiamzon, however. She’s the epitome of a true captain.

The moment Bersola was initially carted away, she pulled everyone together, pointed at the scoreboard (UP was ahead at that time) then put on her game face while addressing her teammates. You could see everyone’s expression change from sorrow of losing a comrade to the fierceness of needing to finish the job she helped them start.

You also gotta hand it to Adamson. They scrapped for everything—in true (Head Coach) Sherwin Meneses fashion. Rookie Jessica Galanza performed like erstwhile scoring machine Bang Pineda (who was actually in the audience to support her former team), while Amanda Villanueva and Mylene Paat played like it was a sudden death tiff.

UP literally outlasted the Lady Falcons by just a few breaths and it was the Lady Maroons’ first victory over Adamson in nearly a decade.

But as the maroon-clad fans celebrated, the gloom of Bersola’s injury loomed large.

Almost twenty four hours later, Bersola disclosed to me the bad news.

“Doc says it’s an (anterior cruciate ligament) ACL tear,” she said in a private message on Twitter.

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She’s now lost for the season as surgery will be performed to repair the damage and she could be back to begin Season 78—barring any hiccups in her long journey through therapy and mental conditioning.

That’s the third volleyball ACL tear I’ve now witnessed, and first as a spectator. I was broadcasting when Ateneo’s Charo Soriano (2009) and NU’s Aiko Urdas (2014) suffered the same fate. Their falls all looked very similar: the leg wobbling a bit upon landing, the rest of the body collapsing in a heap and the motionlessness of the afflicted knee.

However, in the case of Soriano and Urdas, both ladies were still able to stand up—with the help of others—and limp to the sidelines. This is the first time I’ve seen someone placed on the stretcher for this (Mika Esperanza’s stretcher incident during last year’s Philippine Super Liga was for a different injury).

Is UP now doomed? Will they now miss their best shot at their first semifinals in nearly twelve years? Can the remaining members of the squad step up?

Disclaimer first: I’m from UP. I actually went to the Mall of Asia Arena to cheer for the Lady Maroons and have been very vocal about my support for the program ever since Yee took over last season.

That being said, I say the women’s volleyball suffered a setback of epic proportions and their season is now officially in peril.

Bersola is one of the most feared net patrolers in the league. Lai has just begun to find her tempo with the talented quicker. She was the centerpiece of UP’s net offense. Sadly, there’s no one in the line-up that can even come close to what Bersola can do in both departments.

Fifth year veteran Angeli Araneta was converted to the middle hitter position by Yee as the Lady Maroons’ ceiling left a lot to be desired. Chester Ong is long but is still a work in progress while Monica Ortiz is not really known for her defense—and hardly sees floor time anyway. In short, Bersola has no legitimate backup. And since UP’s defensive scheme is anchored on her, the ship could now be headed to the bottom of the ocean as that anchor is now sunk.

Tiamzon will still find a way to win—she’s already proven that. Araneta will still find a way to go out with a bang. Lai and the rest of the young core will continue developing, but for UP to go on being the league’s ultimate overachievers they need all their components or find a magical solution quickly.

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Let’s just pray for the speedy recovery of Bersola. She’s still upbeat and positive. Hopefully, the rest of the team shares her outlook. The second half of the season is nearing. If UP can churn out perhaps three more wins, that might just be enough to catapult them into the Final Four.

It will be tough without @KB08_, but if the team can rally around her…

#PrayForKathyBersola

Follow Noel Zarate on Twitter (@NoelZarate) and email sportztackle@yahoo.com