THE ATENEO blue shuttlers managed to defeat their De La Salle University (DLSU) counterparts with three out of five wins (3-2) on Sunday, September 25, 2016 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

This win puts the Blue Eagles at 3-2 win-loss record in the University of Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Badminton tournament.

The opening game saw blue shuttler Emilio Mangubat take on Green Archer Cayanan. The Blue Eagle took the first point of the match and maintained his lead until the interval (11-8). Though Cayanan threatened a comeback, managing to get into one point advantage against Mangubat (15-14), the blue shuttler’s persistence and aggressive smashing won him the first set. The second set saw Cayanan assert his dominance, claiming the advantage at the interval after leading throughout the set (8-11). However, a determined Mangubat pushed late in the set to tie the game at 15 a piece and eventually claimed the second set (21-17).

Clarence Filart stepped up as he took on K. Monterubio in the second singles game. The initial stages of the game saw the players go neck-and-neck, exchanging serves at almost every point. The latter stages of the first set proved to be very challenging for the Blue and White who lost consecutive points to concede a quintuple set point, eventually losing 16-21. Filart pushed to take the lead early into the second set, establishing a 12-7 lead after the interval, however a drop in his intensity allowed Monterubio to tie the game at 13-13 and take the lead. Filart staged a late fight back to push the game into a third set, but Monterubio held out to claim the win in two sets, claiming the second set at 17-21. The Ateneo loss took the team-tie score to 1-1.

Mangubat took to the court once more along with Hanz Bernardo to square off against DLSU’s Cayanan and Obaob. Though the Blue Eagles led at the interval (11-8), a five-point streak allowed DLSU to take the lead late in the set. The Green Archers took the set after an intense end to the opening set (19-21). The Blue and White duo were determined to claim the second set and managed to hold their early lead as the game went on (18-13). The tantalizing tandem of Mangubat and Bernardo took the match into its third and final set with a comfortable win over DLSU in the second set (21-13). A tense third set saw the duos go neck-and-neck once more as Mangubat and Bernardo held a slim lead following the interval (12-11). A second wind for the Ateneo pair found them sitting on a four-point cushion and eventually claiming the third (21-15) to hand Ateneo the advantage in the team-tie (2-1).

In an attempt to atone for his singles match loss, Filart teamed up with Team Captain Sean Chan as they looked to put the team-tie to bed early with a fourth match win. The Ateneo pair faced K. and J. Monterubio. A nail-biting opening to the match saw both pairs exchange winners as they looked to one-up each other (5-5). DLSU got the better of Ateneo after the blue shuttlers committed several unforced errors and they eventually cruised to claim the set at 15-21. Ateneo found themselves down once more as a second interval saw DLSU claim a five-point lead. A late Chan error gifted DLSU the match point and the Blue Eagles were defeated once again (18-21) to put the two teams on equal footing in the team-tie (2-2).

The last and final match against DLSU’s Pineda saw Hanz Bernardo step up, looking to replicate his success in the third match. Bernardo lost an early lead after a string of mistakes, but managed to keep his head as he claimed the interval (11-8). He unrelentingly pushed to finish the set and pile pressure on the Archers (21-17). Despite the pressure, Pineda managed to keep calm and claim a three-point lead over Bernardo (5-8). Lunging for every drop shot and leaping for every smash, Bernardo found a breakthrough after the interval (14-13) and kept pushing to win the match in its second set. The Blue Eagle claimed the dramatic win with a score of 21-17, sending the Ateneo fans into a frenzy of celebrations. The final team-tie score was 3-2.

Clearly ecstatic about the win over rivals DLSU, team captain Sean Chan said: “I think that this performance can carry us through to the finals—we are gaining momentum every single day even with yesterday’s loss.”

The Blue Eagles will face the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Wednesday, September 28, 8 AM at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.