After days of speculation, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans confirmed on Friday, August 13, that middle blocker Maddie Madayag suffered a left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the first of their two battles for bronze against the Petro Gazz Angels.
This is now the second ACL injury she will have to endure. Back in 2016, when she was still part of the Ateneo Lady Eagles in the UAAP, Madayag tore her right ACL and missed an entire year of action.
Possibly due to the physical stress brought by seven straight game days in the severely compressed Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference schedule, Madayag injured her left ACL off a routine hit that was denied by Petro Gazz blocker Ria Meneses.
The 23-year-old Madayag crumpled to the ground after the hit despite not colliding with anyone else and immediately burst into tears as she was helped off the court in a wheelchair.
Multiple volleyball players and sports personalities immediately reached out and gave the rising star their well-wishes, including Meneses, who was falsely accused by fans of celebrating the injury as it unfolded.
After the major injury to one of his players, Choco Mucho head coach Oliver Almadro essentially waved the white flag on their campaign and pulled the rest of his stars out in the second battle for bronze against Petro Gazz, which it quickly swept.
The Angels finished third, while the Titans, after soaring to a 6-0 conference start, settled for fourth.
Madayag, a two-time UAAP champion, has also been a part of the national team as a reserve and was featured in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippines finished last in the four-team field.
Praying for you Maddie Madayag 🙏 pic.twitter.com/4zXnh6JfVO
— Whoop whoop (@karlooo_tayyy) August 11, 2021