The UAAP Season 80 is in full swing but the University of Santo Tomas will be without their starting libero, Rica Rivera, due to a knee injury while Melina Alessandrini went down with a shoulder injury.
Rivera suffered the injury during the first set of their game against Ateneo de Manila University. She dove for and dug up a ball off Ateneo’s Kat Tolentino but struggled to get up off the ground. Eventually, Rivera was carried off the court by assistant coach Mark Alfafara.
The initial diagnosis revealed that Rivera tore her right meniscus but will be brought to the hospital for further tests.
Alessandrini’s injury was shown to be a partial tear of the supraspinatus tendon in her right shoulder that will keep her out of play for several weeks. This is an injury that she had been battling since the start of the UAAP Season 80 tournament, but the match against Ateneo put it over the edge.
The injuries were a huge blow for the Santo Tomas team, as they eventually lost the match in four sets after winning the first 3-1, (25-16, 22-25, 22-25, 23-25). Santo Tomas had opportunities to take the win but were unable to handle a strong Bea de Leon and Kat Tolentino from the second set on.
Not something anyone wants to see. Hopefully Rica Rivera is fine ? #UAAPSeason80Volleyball pic.twitter.com/JZxpBQCein
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) February 11, 2018
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