Photo by Joseph S. Angan

After earning a lifeline in the twice-to-beat series via a 3-2 defeat of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws the previous day, the Ateneo Lady Shuttlers’ morale remained high en route to the must-win second leg of the semifinals on September 11, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall.

Coaches Kennie Asuncion and Alma Ledesma opted to capitalize on the Lady Shuttlers’ momentum by fielding Lisa Encarnacion at first singles, Gelita Castilo at second singles and Castilo and Dia Magno at first doubles. The lineup assured two victories in Castilo and Magno’s bouts, but its success would highly depend on Enarnacion’s performance.

The team tie draw pitted Encarnacion against the Lady Tamaraws’ heavy hitter, Clarissa Pascual. Pascual’s powerful drives and smashes proved to be a challenge at the onset, as Encarnion struggled to connect with her returns, whilst wearing off the early game rust. Pascual eventually toppled Encarnacion in the first game with a commanding 21-9 defeat of the Lady Shuttler.

Encarnacion, gradually gaining composure, was able to tap into Pascual’s weakness: her agility. The second game saw a shift in game play, as Encarnacion, instead of exchanging direct drives, varied the direction of her shots. The tactic worked, as Pascual experienced difficulties with getting to Encarnacion’s drop shots and cross-court drives, and the Lady Shuttler gained a 21-14 win in the second game.

In the third game, Encarnacion was able to ride out Pascual in the long rallies, as the Lady Tamaraw was plagued with more inefficiency due to fatigue. Midway through the game, Encarnacion garnered a substantial 14-10 lead, looking to breakaway from Pascual for the win. Pascual’s relentless determination—evident in her numerous body dives to get to the shuttlecock—however, did not let Encarnacion run away that easily. Pascual managed to knot things up at 20-20, bringing the game into a deuce situation.

With her arms outstretched to the Ateneo crowd —screaming “Come on!”—and the chant of “Go Lisa!” thoroughly engulfing the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall, there was no doubt as to who wanted it more. Fighting through two lost chances at match point, Encarnacion hit a far corner cross-court drive, away from Pascual’s reach, to get the 24-22 victory.

With a crucial win in the bag and the Lady Shuttlers’ superstar rookies poised to close out the remaining games, the Lady Shuttlers cruised their way into the finals.

Castilo, as she has been doing all season, played puppeteer to her opponent, FEU’s Katherine Mayono, in an easy 21-10, 21-9 win, extending the Lady Shuttlers’ lead to two matches to love.

In the first doubles match of the afternoon, despite Lady Tamaraws Jennifer Cayetano and Mayono’s best efforts, the pair could not break through Castilo and Magno’s defense. Although the score line depicted otherwise, the Lady Shuttler pair was in command all throughout the game, as they captured a 21-19, 21-18 win, and a berth in the UAAP badminton finals.

The Lady Shuttlers will play the University of the East Amazons in the final at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, September 20 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall.