THE ATENEO Lady Eagles defeated rivals the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers in a close 3-2 team-tie victory in their second matchday of the Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Badminton tournament on Thursday, September 27 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Chanelle Lunod started off the afternoon with a win against DLSU’s Nicole Albo. After dropping the first set, 17-21, Lunod managed to keep pace with a number of excellent winners. Although both players committed numerous errors, Lunod’s smart shot choices eventually gave her the advantage in the latter sets as she scraped out a second set win, 21-19, and later a third set victory, 21-18, to give Ateneo the team-tie advantage.

The next singles match of the day featured Ateneo’s skipper, Samantha Ramos, and DLSU’s Konna Baba. Despite managing to dispatch Baba in the first set, 21-12, Ramos struggled to keep pace and eventually ceded the following sets, 19-21, 14-21, as the Lady Archers pulled level in the team-tie.

Veteran shuttler Geva De Vera suited up alongside Chanelle Lunod to play the Green and White tandem of Nicole Albo and Mariya Anghela. Much like Ramos’ performance, the duo lost their momentum in the second and third sets after winning the first, 21-18. DLSU’s pair kept composed and were more efficient in converting their attacks as the match wore on. Lunod and De Vera dropped the second and third set, 19-21 and 9-21.

Knowing that losing their match would result in a team-tie defeat, Aly Roxas and Bea Felizardo were determined to garner a crucial win against Mariya Anghela Sevilla and Lindsay Tercias. Careless errors from DLSU at crucial moments allowed Roxas and Felizardo to walk away with a straight-sets win with scores of 22-20 and 21-16.

In the last match of the day, De Vera donned the Blue and White to take on Sevilla in the deciding match. The Ateneo shuttler’s inspiring performance in the second and third set made up for her 16-21 first set loss. De Vera employed a mix of aggressive play at the net and quick defensive recoveries to tire out Sevilla. De Vera won the last two sets 22-20 and 21-13 respectively.

After all the matches, Aly Roxas expressed how proud she was of her team’s overall effort. She especially commended those who played double events as they, “never gave up despite injuries before and during their games.” Moreover, Roxas credited Samantha Ramos’ leadership, despite her tough loss and cited it as one of their motivating factors on the day.

This win puts the Lady Eagles at 2-0 in the standings. Their next team-tie will be against the Adamson Lady Falcons at 1pm on Sunday, September 30, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila.

Team-tie score: Ateneo 3 DLSU 2

Set scores:

1st Singles: Chanelle Lunod def. Nicole Albo, 17-21, 21-19, 21-18.

2nd Singles: Samantha Ramos los. Konna Baba, 21-12, 19-21, 14-21.

3rd Singles: Geva De Vera def. Mariya Anghelo Sevilla, 16-21, 22-20, 21-13.

1st Doubles: Chanelle Lunod and Geva De Vera los. Nicole Albo and Mariya Anghela Sevilla 21-18, 19-21, 9-21.

2nd Doubles: Aly Roxas and Bea Felizardo def. Mariya Anghela Sevilla and Lindsay Tercias, 22-20, 21-16.