MANILA – Joan Marie Monares of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons women’s volleyball team is skipping the upcoming UAAP Season 85 action due to an injury.
According to the Bacolod City-native volleybelle, she was forced to sit out the upcoming women’s volleyball season as she is scheduled to undergo a surgery on a lingering injury on her left ankle.
“It was really unfortunate that I have to sit out the upcoming UAAP season because I am very much prepared and excited for this because I have adjusted to the system of our new coach (Shaq delos Santos),” Monares said.
“But it was the doctor’s advice for me to undergo the surgery already because this was an existing injury since my rookie year and the pain will not subside unless I go under the knife,” she added.
A star volleyball player out of Bacolod Tay Tung High School Thunderbolts, the 5-foot-10 Monares made a good impression prior to her rookie year in UP until an ankle injury slowed her down.
The crafty spiker out of Bacolod still managed to play limited minutes during UAAP Season 84 as she recovered from her injury. She had a career-high of five points in UP’s game over De La Salle University Lady Spikers.
During the offseason, Monares showed vast improvement as a hitter and was even named as Player of the Game with double-double 15 points and 12 excellent digs in UP’s win over UST Golden Tigresses in V-League.
“As much as possible talaga I don’t want to undergo surgery because I don’t want to be away from volleyball, so during the offseason tournaments I am really playing through pain,” Monares said.
“I was being managed by our medical team until I hurt that same ankle in practice. That’s the time I was advised to have it operated,” she added. “It is unfortunate but I will recover from this stronger.”
Monares was one of the Western Visayas-based players in Fighting Maroons roster aside from Ilongga Marianne Sotomil, Talisaynon Alyssa Bertolano, Antiquena Irah Jaboneta and Bacolodnon Nikha Cabasac./PN
