Gula out for Season 87 with displaced tailbone fracture — team

THE UST Golden Tigresses will miss the services of outside hitter Xyza Gula in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament due to a displaced tailbone fracture she sustained in December, the team announced Monday morning.

In a statement, the Golden Tigresses said the 5-foot-4 outside hitter has missed “vital parts” of the team’s training sessions after the pain from the injury did not subside within the five-to-eight-week timeframe initially projected by the team’s doctor. 

Despite the injury, Gula was initially included in UST’s Season 87 plans, but a recent X-ray and reevaluation indicated a longer recovery period, forcing the high-flyer out of the Golden Tigresses’ lineup for the upcoming UAAP season. 

“She remained included in UST’s Season 87 plans, including the Japan training camp back in January. Unfortunately, as of press time, and following another X-ray exam and re-evaluation, the pain has yet to subside which led to Gula missing vital parts of our training,” the statement read.

“With this, it has been decided that she will not be in the UST lineup for the upcoming season because her health and her future as an athlete are far more important than our campaign” it continued. 

Gula was an instrumental piece to the Golden Tigresses’ silver-medal finish in Season 86, accumulating a total of 78 points (71 attacks, seven aces) in the eliminations as UST’s spark plug off the bench. 

She was expected to take on a bigger role in the outside hitting department after Jonna Perdido underwent surgery for a complete ACL tear in January. 

READ: BREAKING: Jonna Perdido has torn ACL, out for Season 87 

With both Gula and Perdido sidelined for UST’s Season 87 campaign, the Golden Tigresses will lean on their other outside hitters, including reigning Rookie of the Year Angeline Poyos and offseason key cog Kyla Cordora.

The UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament will begin on Saturday, Feb. 15.