Ron Medalla has been giving his all for VNS in the 2023 Spikers' Turf Open Conference after missing more than a year due to an injury.
He hurt his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the PNVF Champions League for Men back in November 2021 and the road to recovery was long.
"A year na nagtherapy ako, nag PT ako nag weights, conditioning. After ko maclear sa ACL ko nagtraining na kaagad ako, nakisabay na ako sa kanila," shared Medalla, a 6-foot outside spiker of the Griffins.
But now back in good shape, Medalla is not holding his play back, giving it all for VNS, which lost many players as others transferred to different teams while some focused on their upcoming collegiate tournaments.
The two-time UAAP champion from Ateneo de Manila University dropped seven points in their straight sets defeat to AMC-Cotabato, while tallying a team-high 11 points in their win against Vanguard to improve their win-loss record to an even 1-1.
"For me super happy ko now kasi nagagawa ko na ulit yung ginagawa ko before. Hindi ko na siya iniisip na hindrance siya kasi nangyari na so kailangan ko na lang iovercome and gagawin ko yung best ko para maibalik ko 'yung laro ko," shared Medalla after their first victory last Wednesday at Paco Arena.
"With the help of my coaches, nakabalik ako nang mabilis and yung trust nila sa akin nandoon that's why mas madali rin for me."
A bigger responsibility though falls on his and Pemie Bagalay shoulders - leading a young team, most without experience playing in big collegiate leagues or bigger tournaments like the Spikers' Turf.
"Ako as their senior hinihelp ko sila kung anong meron akong knowledge, ineencourage ko sila na gawin lagi yung tama at kung anong makakahelp for them kasi sa ganyang age, sobrang laking room for growth as a player so nandito ako lagi para iguide sila," added Medalla.
