CIGNAL import Sonja Milanovic was ruled out of the conference in the Philippine Super Liga Grand Prix due to a sprained right ankle.
The Serbian opposite spiker sustained the injury late in the first set during their match against Generika-Ayala, which they eventually lost in straight sets, 22-25, 20-25, 20-25, on Thursday at The Arena in San Juan.
“Dinala na siya ngayon sa hospital, sa San Juan de Dios. Magang-maga ang right ankle niya,” said Cignal coach Edgar Barroga. “Definitely hindi na siya makakabalik.”
Milanovic’s absence will be a big blow for the HD Spikers.
Cignal ended the elimination round with 3-7 won-loss card at the sixth spot and will face third-seed team Cocolife, which is armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, in the quarterfinals.
Still, Barroga remained optimistic for their campaign as they look to replace Milanovic with a new import.
“Kapag hindi na kami makakagawa ng paraan, definitely medyo mahihirapan na kami pero hopefully ‘yung option namin siguro may pag-asa pa,” he said.
“Well ‘yun ‘yung plan, kumuha ng import. Kung available ang kukuhain namin definitely ‘yun ang magiging kapalit,” he added.
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