THE ATENEO lady shuttlers lose to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers after an intense five-match thriller that saw DLSU claim the win after the fifth round of the team-tie (2-3) on Sunday, September 25, 2016 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.

This loss puts the Lady Eagles at 3-2 win-loss record in the University of Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season following their season opener defeat to University of the Philippines (UP), their successive 5-0 wins against Far Eastern University (FEU) and University of the East (UE) and their 4-1 win against National University (NU).

After three consecutive singles victories in previous team-ties, Samantha Ramos was chosen to represent the Lady Eagles in the first match of the day against DLSU’s Leonardo. The initial stages of the match saw Ramos and Leonardo start off aggressively as both managed to claim convincing winners, only to be trumped in the following point (8-7). Ramos held a slim lead at the interval (11-10) and continued to hold the solitary one-point lead as she looked to close the set with a win (18-17). Continuous bombardment from Leonardo left Ramos speechless as the Lady Archer snuck in to steal the first set (19-21). A disheartened Ramos attempted to push the match into a third set but her DLSU counterpart simply dominated the second set from the get-go. Leonardo claimed the second set at 9-21, handing DLSU the advantage in the team-tie (0-1).

The second match singles saw lady shuttlers captain Bianca Carlos step up to take on Lady Archer Rivera. Carlos holds an unbeaten streak in singles since the start of the UAAP season and looked to replicate her success to give the Lady Eagles a chance in the team-tie. Rivera managed to keep pace with Carlos in the early stages of the first set, but could not prevent the Ateneo captain from grabbing the lead at the interval (11-8). An outstanding latter-half performance by Carlos earned her a comfortable win in the first set (21-13). Carlos unsurprisingly dominated the second set, claiming an 11-4 lead at the interval. She only added to the score-line with six consecutive points and taking her lead to a huge 13-point disparity. Carlos moved quickly to finish win the set after consecutive smashes at 21-8, outclassing Rivera in the closing stages of the match. The team-tie score after the win was now 1-1.

Geva De Vera and Trixie Malibiran took to the court to represent Ateneo in the first doubles match of the day against Montilla and Salatan. The Lady Archers dominated, claiming an initial seven points out of eight points played, and edged out De Vera and Malibiran to a seven-point lead at the interval. Consistent play from the lady shuttlers kept them in the game as both teams shared points after the interval (12-19). The initial lead proved to be decisive as the Lady Eagles could not overcome DLSU in the first set (14-21). Neck-and-neck action continued into the second set until Ateneo managed to seal a comfortable lead at the interval care of some Malibiran magic (11-5). The Ateneo pair could not, however, hold on to their lead as they watched the Lady Archers take the set from behind (18-21). The result left the Ateneo at a disadvantage going into the fourth match (1-2).

The duo of Bianca Carlos and Chanelle Lunod looked to set the team on equal footing with DLSU in the second doubles match against DLSU’s Sevilla and Leonardo. Carlos, coming from a strong singles performance, asserted her dominance once more with Lunod following suit, to claim an early lead (5-2). Ateneo won the interval (11-5) and determinedly claimed the first set (21-12). Sevilla and Leonardo exhibited spirit to mount a second set charge, managing an early lead (4-7) only to be trumped at the interval (12-5). Several unforced errors and a lack of communication between the Lady Eagles proved costly as they watched Leonardo and Sevilla take the set (14-21). Similar to the first set, Ateneo held the lead at the interval (11-7) having fought hard to get ahead by four points. Carlos then produced a wonderful display of confidence and coolness under pressure as she repelled four smashes and smashed one of her own to spark the push towards claiming the third set. Deservedly, Ateneo clawed their way to win the third set (21-17) and match DLSU on points for the team-tie (2-2).

The last and final match saw Jana De Vera take to the court to face Sevilla in a winner-takes-all singles match. De Vera managed to take the first point of the set, but Sevilla pulled ahead of the Lady Eagle with a six-point lead at the interval (5-11). DLSU took the set after a number of errors on De Vera’s part (12-21). A resolute De Vera fought to set herself on equal footing in the second set (14-14) and pushed for a deuce at 20-20. Two consecutive points from Sevilla translated to a team-tie win for DLSU (20-22).

The team-tie defeat at the hands of rivals DLSU comes as a painful strike to the lady shuttlers’ momentum with their successive run of wins prior to the showdown with the Archers. The Lady Eagles will be looking to get back to winning ways against Adamson, who they will face on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, 1 PM at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.