OPENING DAY was tough for the Ateneo Paddlers as both men and women’s teams slumped for a 0-4 win-loss record to kick off the UAAP Table Tennis Tournament on Saturday, September 22, at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Such a start was the exact opposite of what both teams had envisioned for a stronger Season 75 campaign.
Lady Paddlers
The ladies in blue lost their first two games of the season against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and National University (NU), 0-3 and 1-3, respectively.
Although the Lady Paddlers played with heart, it was not enough to match the firepower of their opponents. The sole win of the morning was rookie Jane Dela Cruz’s nail-biting 3-2 outcome.
In the afternoon, the ladies were still unable to deliver even after Coach Floyd Lobaton’s words of encouragement. They lost their last two games of the day against the University of the Philippines (UP) and Far Eastern University (FEU), 1-3 and 0-3, respectively.
The only match won against UP was the singles match played by team captain Clarice Manuel. She still won despite injuring her ankle in the match.
Blue Paddlers
Similar to the women’s team, the Ateneo Blue Paddlers lost to UP and archrivals De La Salle University, 1-3 and 0-3, respectively. Ateneo’s only win was a 3-1 singles match played by sophomore Karl Uy.
The boys played with more finesse and composure in their afternoon matchups. They picked up the pace against NU and forced them to a maxed-out meeting.
Uy and fellow veteran Mihali Crisostomo were able to bag the first two sets for the Blue and White. However, the momentum shifted to NU as they won three straight.
The last game for the day started out well when Uy defeated FEU’s Rodriguez, 3-2. Once again, however, the Paddlers were unable to contain their opponents as FEU won three straight to win it all, 3-1.
A grief-stricken coach
Coach Lobaton was anything but happy about the opening day performance of his players. He expressed how at the beginning of the day, everything already went amiss.
“Late na nga nagising, yung team manager hindi [pa] natupad yung 5 o’clock na pagkain [ng players]. Yung mga trainer ko, apat. Dumating isa lang (The players woke up late, and the team manager didn’t carry out the scheduled 5 o‘clock breakfast of the players. I have four trainers, and only one showed up),” said Coach Lobaton.
Though Coach Lobaton finds the whole day truly disappointing, he knows that both teams have still the coming days to bounce back.
He a;so added that performance is really sometimes reliant on the “biorhythm” of the body and that today was just an off day for the Paddlers.
The second day of the elimination round continues tomorrow, Sunday, September 23, 8am at the Blue Eagle Gym.
