Deja vu for Eya Laure, Sisi upon seeing Angge Poyos injury
IF there’s someone who’d best understand what Angge Poyos went through with her ankle injury in Game One of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball finals, it’s no other than former University of Sto. Tomas super rookie Eya Laure.
As first-year spikers, Laure and Poyos were both poised to cop Rookie of the Year honors upon steering the Tigresses to the championship series in Season 81 (2019) and Season 86 (2024) respectively.
Following the series opener of the Season 86 Finals versus National University, Poyos ended up suffering the same fate Laure did — an ankle injury coming at the worst possible time.
Laure and her former UST senior-turned-UAAP MVP Sisi Rondina were among the 20,955 fans who held their breath at the Big Dome when Poyos accidentally landed on the left foot of her teammate Em Banagua which led her to tweak her right ankle.
The next day after Sunday’s UAAP Finals opener, The ex-Thomasian stars recalled the difficult scenes as they watched on from the sidelines, with Laure baring how she turned emotional seeing Poyos endure the same fate she did five years ago.
“Katabi ko si Ate Sisi (Rondina) kahapon at medyo naiyak ako kasi nangyayari ‘yung mga ganung unfortunate events na hindi naman talaga natin kontrolado din ‘yun,” Laure said.
Right at that very instance when Poyos went down in pain, the memory of Game Two of the Season 81 Finals flashed right in front of Laure’s eyes.
“Para kay Angge (Poyos), sana maka-recover din kaagad siya […] ‘Di ko alam yung sasabihin ko pero naiyak lang talaga ako nu’ng nakita ko ‘yun. ‘Di ko alam kung ano ‘yung ma-fefeel ko. Nag-flashback, nag-flashback siya.
“Sabi ko kay Ate Sisi na parang nung Game Two nung Season 81 (‘yung nangyari kay Angge) pero alam ko naman na ilalaban ‘yun ng UST kasi hindi lang naman si Poyos ang dahilan kung bakit sila nasa finals ngayon. Nasa finals sila kasi teamwork ang ginawa nila at hindi biro yun na young team sila na nakarating sa finals agad,” Laure added.
A future brighter than gold
All is not lost for the Tigresses down 0-1 in the best-of-three title series to the vengeance-seeking Lady Bulldogs.
But whichever way the championship goes, Laure and Rondina share the same sentiment that the young UST side must make the most of every moment under the bright lights of championship volleyball — one that’ll bring priceless lessons for the rest of their careers.
“Yakapin lang nila ‘yung experience at ‘wag na nila masyadong isipin ‘yung kung nasaan sila kasi the more na iisipin nila, baka the more na ma-pressure sila and as a young team, kailangan mas more on hungry sila sa mga new experiences at i-absorb nila kung ano ‘yung mga pwede pang matutunan nila.
“Naniniwala naman ako na sa layo ng narating ng UST Golden Tigresses, at very young team sila, talagang ‘yung experience na makukuha nila this championship, malaking bagay ‘yun para sa volleyball career nila na babaunin talaga nila sa buong buhay nila,” said Laure.
Rondina added: “Kahit naman wala si (Angge) Poyos sa team, alam kong mag-sstep up mga kasama niya and patibayan lang ‘yan ng loob.
“Maniwala lang muna sila sa sarili nila na kaya nila.”
