Ana gopico injured reserve

THE ATENEO Lady Eagles started their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Beach Volleyball campaign splitting their two matches, losing against Far Eastern University (FEU) but defeating the University of the East (UE) last Thursday, October 5, at SM Sands by the Bay in Pasay.

UAAP Indoor Volleyball Season 79 Rookie of the Year Jules Samonte was chosen to replace Kim Gequillana who had suffered a knee injury in a Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference game. Alongside her was captain Bea De Leon and Ana Gopico who served as the duo’s reserve.

The Ateneo duo of De Leon and Samonte began Season 80 against FEU’s Bernadeth Pons and Kim Atienza. The Lady Eagles fell behind early, 1-4, due to strong attacks by Pons. Ateneo was then able to come within one, 4-5, after a well-placed hit by Samonte.

The Lady Tams, however, blasted the Lady Eagles with a 9-3 run with point after point coming off service aces by Atienza to take a 14-7 lead heading into the second technical timeout. From then on, the FEU attack continued to steamroll Ateneo as the Lady Eagles dropped the first set, 8-21.

In the second set, receiving errors continued to hamper the Lady Eagles as they fell behind 4-9 after another Atienza service ace. The Lady Eagles showed resolve once again as Samonte scored a service ace of her own to cut the lead to three, 10-13. However, the Lady Tamaraws again went on a spirited 5-0 capped by Pons winning a joust at the net with De Leon to take a commanding 18-10 advantage. Despite Ateneo making up some lost ground, a De Leon service error spelled Ateneo to lose the set, 14-21, and the match to FEU.

Due to multiple matches going to three sets, the last game of the day between the Lady Eagles and the UE Lady Warriors began around midnight. UE’s Judith Abil and Angelica Dacaymat took the first set, 17-21, thanks to an early scoring run that the Blue and White were unable to recover fr

ANA Gopico knows that there's still lots of ground for her to cover as she makes her return to BanKo in the 2019 Premier Volleyball League Season 3 Open Conference.

"Kabado pa ako kasi one year din akong di nakatapak ng Arena eh," she said.

The 5-foot-10 middle blocker is staging a comeback after injuries, including a third ACL injury, sidetracked her career.

It hasn't been easy for the former Ateneo Lady Eagle, but this road to recovery isn't really a foreign thing for her.

Gopico has worked her way back from two ACL injuries on her left knee, as well as a hamstring injury in the past.

And now, she goes back to the taraflex more than a year after sustaining an ACL in the the UAAP Season 80 beach volleyball competition.

Just like in the past, the nerves were certainly there for Gopico.

"Pinasok ako nung second set. Intense pa agad ang laban," she noted of her brief stint in the game.

But as much as she wasn't able to contribute scoring-wise for the Perlas Spikers, Gopico was a positive fixture on the team's bench.

"Kahit di ako naka-score, as much as possible, I tried to uplift my teammates na makakabawi tayo agad," she said.

And those were greatly appreciated by her new teammates, with Nicole Tiamzon noting: "Sobrang good vibes ni Ana."

Gopico, however, hopes that she'll be able to contribute the next time out as she continues this comeback.

"Medyo wala akong contribution kanina, pero siguro, almost halfway pa lang ako siguro (sa recovery). Marami pa akong hahabulin, for sure," she said.

Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

Tearing an ACL is one of the worst nightmares for any athlete wishing to make a dent in his or her chosen sport. For te a part of the UAAPhe Lady Eagles, THREE of them stayed at the sidelines for numerous months -watching their team win or lose, incapable of contributing points- because of the said injury.

Ana Laureen Gopico was supposed to be the next big thing for Ateneo. After leading NCR to victory and was hailed MVP IN 2013,she was expected to power up  the middle zone and help the team grab it’s first-ever title in UAAP. Unfortunately, the CSA product tore her ACL midway through the tournament and missed the rest of Season 76. And just as she was prepping up to be lined up for ALE for Season 77, she injured her knee anew, which again had put her in the sidelines and not became a part of the Katipunan-based roster’s historical back-to-back championships in 2015.

Now fully recovered with her injuries, Gopico again stepped on the taraflex to play her heart out for her chosen Alma Mater last 13th Shakey’s V-League Collegiate Conference , and finally became of help in bagging the Silver trophy. She is now in her fourth year for the Blue and White. Hoping for the curse to end and be a part of the UAAP 79 line-up.

Katrina Mae Tolentino was a Fil-Am recruit from Vancouver, Canada. Back then, regular students were prepping up and practicing (for their approaching Graduation Day in High School) ,while Kat’s at home, sitting and resting her left knee because of her first ACL tear.

Young, fearless, and full of dreams, the Fil-Canadian spent the succeeding nine months recovering and aiming to suit up for Trinity Western University.

On January of 2013, Tolentino’s doctors were confident enough that their patient was more than mentally and physically ready to give volleyball another try, so as she. But unfortunately, it seems that it’s not yet her time to shine. Just three days into her return, she heard an all