Jelai Gajero suffers ACL injury. –V.LEAGUE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–University of the East’s star rookie Jelai Gajero has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee, which will keep her sidelined for the remainder of the V-League Collegiate Challenge and beyond.
Gajero absorbed the injury last week during her squad’s 25-21, 24-26, 24-26, 25-22, 15-12 victory over Perpetual Help at Paco Arena.
In that game’s second set, Gajero went up for a block but landed in an awkward position.
“When I landed—before that, I didn’t feel any knee pain—but my landing was really off,” explained Gajero in a report on the league’s official website.
“As I landed, I felt my leg twist sideways. It popped three times and then went back. When I landed, I immediately grabbed my knee.”
Unfortunately for Gajera, the ACL injury prematurely put an end to her stint for the V-League, exiting the Lady Warriors who have a 5-0 team record.
Prior to the freak injury, Gajero tallied 64 points built on 59 attacks and five blocks during her run in the tourney.