THE ATENEO Men’s and Women’s Badminton teams both pulled off nail-biting wins in their respective matches yesterday at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall, Quezon City. Their victories in their recent matches have secured them a spot in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 finals.            

Up against tight competition, the Blue Eagles kept their records unblemished in the UAAP standings after leading both Men’s and Women’s divisions with a 4-0 record each.

The much-needed win did not come easily for the Men’s team. The Season 82 runners-up had to survive a gritty University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons side, 3-2, in five close matches. 

Co-captain Bryan Bernardo led the charge for the Men’s team as he faced off against UP’s Jewel Angelo Albo in the first Men’s Singles match. Bernardo started off slow against his UP counterpart, which resulted in early deficits during both sets. Despite his efforts to spark a comeback for the Blue and White, Bernardo dropped the first match, 0-2.  

Ateneo’s Lyrden Laborte was then tasked to prevent UP from earning another team-tie point in the second singles match, and the rookie stalwart readily stepped up to the challenge. Facing UP’s Kervin Llanes, Laborte found himself down one set before rallying in the second and successfully pulling off a 22-20 nailbiter win for the Blue and White. He then cruised to a 21-14 victory in the final set and claimed Ateneo’s First team-tie point.

Following the crucial win, Laborte had little time to celebrate as his name was called immediately after for the first doubles match alongside Team Captain Arthur Salvado. The dyad of Laborte and Salvado ran out of gas in the match, ultimately dropping two sets against their Katipunan neighbors Jewel Albo and Jason Vanzuela.

With the game on the line, Ateneo shuttlers Charles Bagasbas and Bernardo faced a crucial scenario against UP’s Charles Alcarpio and Wileyto Yray. Fighting for a ticket to the finals, the Ateneo duo delivered and forced a fifth and final deciding match for the game, coming away with a 2-0 set win. 

After falling in the first doubles match, Salvado carried the Blue and White’s hopes on his shoulders as he went toe-to-toe against Kervin Llanes. Salvado refused to let his squad down and dominated the final match, winning the first set at 21-15, and the second set at 21-9 to secure Ateneo’s spot in the finals.

Meanwhile, it took nearly five hours for the Women’s Team to tame the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs and replicate the team-tie scores at 3-2. 

The victory was worth the time and hustle as the reigning champions pocketed their chance for back-to-back championships with the huge win.        

Jochelle Alvarez opened up the afternoon for the Blue Eagles as she squared off against NU’s Karyll Rio. Alvarez found herself facing early leads in both sets played, however, she failed to recover in either set, dropping the match at 0-2. 

Season 82 holdover Mika De Guzman then had to face Sarah Barredo in the second match of the afternoon. Though De Guzman comfortably took the first set, 21-13, Barredo bounced back with an upset in the second to force a third set.  In the third set, De Guzman regained control of the game and earned the first team-tie point for Ateneo with a commanding tally of 21-14.

Alvarez returned to the hardcourt for the first doubles match alongside two-time MVP Chanelle Lunod, facing off against Jeya Pinlac and Gwyneth Desacola from the UP side. The Ateneo duo made quick work of the match, as they swept the Fighting Maroons and locked in Ateneo’s second team-tie point. 

The two captains De Guzman and Geia De Vera looked to bag another finals appearance for Ateneo in the second doubles match, but NU’s Barredo and Yvonie Dema-Ano proved to be troublesome. The girls in blue dropped a close first set, 20-22, but remained composed and controlled the second set at 21-13. Ateneo’s stellar duo then lost their momentum in the third set after suffering an 8-21 upset by the Lady Bulldogs in the deciding third singles match.

Returning for the last final singles match against UP’s Kate De Guzman, Lunod showcased why she is called the Queen Eagle of Ateneo Badminton. With the pressure on, the Ateneo star player once again dominated and won the match to join the Men’s Team in the finals.

The Blue and White will look to solidify their grip on the standing in Saturday’s action, November 12 at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall. The men’s team will face the NU Bulldogs at 8 AM, while the women’s squad will meet the De La Salle University Lady Smashers at 1 PM.              

Team-Tie Score (Men’s): Ateneo-UP: 3-2

First Men’s Singles: Albo def. Bernardo, 10-21, 4-21

Second Men’s Singles: Laborte def. Llanes, 19-21, 22-20, 21-14

First Men’s Doubles: Albo & Vanzuela def. Laborte & Salvado, 17-21, 15-21

Second Men’s Doubles: Bagasbas & Bernardo def. Alcarpio & Tray, 21-13, 19-21, 21-12

Third Men’s Singles: Salvado def. Llanes, 21-15, 21-9

Team-Tie Score (Women’s): Ateneo-NU: 3-2

First Women’s Singles: Rio def. Alvarez, 11-21, 20-22

Second Women’s Singles: De Guzman def. Barredo, 21-13, 16-21, 21-14

First Women’s Doubles: Alvarez & Lunod def. Pinlac & Desacola, 21-16, 21-18

Second Women’s Doubles: Barredo & Dema-Ano def. De Guzman & De Vera, 20-22, 21-13, 8-21

Third Women’s Singles: Lunod def. De Guzman, 21-13, 21-14