Alessandrini’s heart drives UST in monumental win over NU
By Rob Andrew Lo Dongiapon
At the midst of an emotional triumph that ensued UST’s historic five-set win over National University, chants of “Mi-le-na” rained down on the Golden Tigresses.
It was warranted, if not totally fated. For the Thomasian community, the win would not be as sweet as it was without the services of the returning Milena Alessandrini.
Alessandrini poured in 14 points alongside 10 excellent receptions as the Golden Tigresses snapped the 20-game, four-year winning run of the defending champions Lady Bulldogs in a five-set thriller, Saturday afternoon.
That tally was more than just a mere contribution to the win. It took her a massive show of heart and grit to pull her back from a nerve-wracking injury scare, and get the job done in the end.
“I really wanted to give my contribution to the team so I played with a big heart,” Alessandrini said during the postgame press conference.
The 25-year-old Filipina-Italian opposite hitter sprained her ankle in the early goings of the fourth set. After bursting out a heavy sob, she was taken out of the court and went back to the locker room on her own power.
Later, she came back in the fifth set and finished the match.
“I was very scared when I went down. I thought, in my mind, it was something serious again…How can I survive again to face another injury?” Alessandrini added.
A distressing silence reverberated inside Mall of Asia Arena when Alessandrini went down.
A former rookie of the year, she went through a shoulder injury in her first year, a grade three sprain on her left medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and and a tear of her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 2019 before returning to UST this season.
As fears rooted from those horrific injuries flashed into the eyes of Alessandrini, who spent the last four years recovering from the aforementioned mishaps, the reactions were much justified.
Fortunately, when she was seen walking unaccompanied shortly after she was taken out, it gave everyone a deep sigh of relief.
“The trauma was there. That’s why she was crying,” said head coach Kung Fu Reyes.
Turns out, it was not as serious as she once thought as Alessandrini returned to action in the deciding fifth set to deliver two attacks and a block.
Not only did her presence fuel the Tigresses’ spirited charge down the stretch, but it also erased all the pain concerns she feared.
“I prayed and the coaches helped me to treat my ankle,” Alessandrini said on the UST’s staff.
Reyes, who has been coaching Alessandrini since her first year in the UAAP, was the first one to rush to the court as soon as the play stopped to check on her.
“Nung nakita namin naglakad, nung nakita namin na bumalik, ‘yun ang mas nagbigay ng determination to come back,” Reyes said. .
“After the struggle, the importance is how you come back. It’s not how you fall down, it’s how you come back,” he added.
The support Alessandrini got was apparent throughout the game, and even after the victory.
Rookie Regina Jurado, who was hailed as the Player of the Game for UST, held Alessandrini’s hand for most of the post-game press conference — a gesture that felt like a symbol of how UST and its supporters have always been on Milena’s side throughout her trials and tribulations.
When asked about how she feels after the emotional win, the soft-spoken spiker — with her hand still clasped on Jurado’s — was left numb and overwhelmed.
“I don’t know right now. I can’t feel anything…I’m just happy, “ she said.
Despite her injuries, Alessandrini returned this season to settle unfinished business with the Tigresses’ as they fight to bring back the crown to España.
