Photo by Joseph S. Angan

EAGER TO bounce back from yesterday’s 2-3 defeat to Far Eastern University, the Ateneo Lady Shuttlers fought a tough battle against the University of Santo Tomas on August 21 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall. With a close 3-2 win, though, the girls in blue are back on the winning track.

Coach Kennie Asuncion’s girls had no desire to slump into a losing streak, and, with that in mind, team captain Lisa Encarnacion raced into the first singles match of the afternoon with an 8-2 lead over her UST’s Elainne Vinluan—eventually winning the first game, 21-15.

Encarnacion capitalized on the early momentum, turning in a strong performance in the second game, 21-11. Her victory helped the Katipunan-based squad draw first blood in the afternoon.

Rookie Gelita Castilo was determined not to blemish her undefeated record in the singles division, fostering a quick seven-point advantage over UST’s pintsized Camille Yang; she went on to win the first game convincingly, 21-12.

In the second game Yang tightened up her play, staying within a single point of Castilo for a majority of the game. It was only after the 15-14 mark that the Atenean went on a 6-0 run to give the Lady Shuttlers a commanding 2-0 match lead.

The rookie-veteran combination of Dia Magno and Carla Lizardo were looking for the kill in the first doubles match of the afternoon, but UST’s Chona Medina and Rochanie Decatoria fought to get UST on the board. The Ateneo duo scored the first few points but trailed the rest of the first game, eventually losing 21-12.

The ladies from España found new life after taking their first win of the afternoon and continued their winning drive in the second game. Magno and Lizardo kept their opponents at arms length—containing their opponent’s lead to within three. After cutting the lead by two at 15-17 late in the game, they had were presented with chance, but UST went on to score four straight to clinch the match, and cut down the Lady Shuttlers’ lead, 2-1.

Castilo and Mikee Roxas looked to stop UST’s surge against Yang and Pia Fabros in the second doubles match. Both teams were neck and neck in the first game, with nine deadlocks throughout the game.

At 18-18, Mikee Roxas connected on a smash that blitzed right between Yang and Fabros, giving Ateneo the slimmest of leads. The game was tied once again at 20-20 but this would be the last deadlock of the game, as Castilo and Roxas scored the last two points to escape with the win.

Demoralized by the close loss, the UST pair allowed Ateneo to run out of the gates at the start of the second. Soon, Castilo and Roxas were up 9-0. Their opponents would show some life at the middle stages of the game, inching as close as four but the deficit would prove to be too big to overcome, as the Ateneans won easily, 21-14. The win secured the victory for the Lady Shuttlers.

Veteran Carla Lizardo closed things out for team Ateneo against Tigress Fabros in the final match of the afternoon. She trailed 11-16 in the first game, but fought hard to take a 17-16 lead. The game remained close until the end, but Fabros eventually escaped with the 21-18 win.

Trying to force a rubber match, Lizardo showed her determination once again in the second game, overcoming Fabros’ early cushion and going up 11-10 during at the break. The game would again go down to the wire as the two ladies were tied several times at the closing moments. However, once again, Lizardo came up just short, dropping the second game 20-22.

UST got their second win of the day, but at the end of the day, the tie still belonged to the Lady Shuttlers, who improved to 5-1 in the standings.

Captain Lisa Encarnacion cited yesterday’s loss as the key to the Lady Shuttlers’ effort to turn things around today. “Yesterday’s loss was enough to help us bounce back for today’s games. It was the kind of loss that makes you angry instead of sad,” she said.

The Lady Shuttlers look to duplicate today’s effort next Sunday, August 28, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall. They will try to secure a twice to beat advantage in the Final Four when they go up against National University at 1:00 pm.

Team Standings: