Former UST Golden Spikers’ star Jau Umandal watching the UAAP men’s volleyball Finals game between NU and UST. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Jau Umandal has resumed normal activities after hitting his head and missing Cignal’s championship celebration in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference Friday night.
Umandal was at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday for the first game of the UAAP Season 86 men’s volleyball Finals, barely a day after he was rushed to the hospital to check for head injuries.
“I’m doing good. I felt dizzy after that, but I’m okay now. There were no problems seen from the scans,” said Umandal, cheering for his younger brother Sherwin and his alma mater University of Santo Tomas, who lost Game 1 to the four-peat-seeking National University, 25-17, 26-24, 25-19.
READ: Jau Umandal ‘conscious’ after hitting head in Cignal’s title win
In the third set of Cignal’s title-clinching win, Umandal accidentally hit his head against the elbow of Criss Cross star Jude Garcia when he landed from a back row attack attempt.
He was then rushed to the Adventist Medical Center Manila for tests, missing the HD Spikers’ championship revelry
But Umandal, the tournament’s Best Outside Hitter, said his head injury was not serious after clearing the tests.
READ: UAAP: Ex-UST star Jau Umandal proud to see his brother Sherwin thriving
“I wasn’t there when we won, but I’m happy because we succeeded. It’s such a good feeling that there’s someone else who can cover for you. I may have had an accidentally, but someone else was there to help the team,” he added.
Umandal said that Garcia, the Spikers’ Turf MVP, reached out to apologize to him but he understood that what happened was just an accident.
“There were no hard feelings, nothing personal. No one wanted that to happened. It was part of the game,” he said.
As he cherished his first Spikers’ Turf title, Umandal hopes his brother and the Golden Spikers win a championship despite losing the opener.
“I’m very proud. This used to be our goal during our time, and now I have a brother playing in the Finals,” he said.