THE ATENEO lady shuttlers cruised to victory against host university, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses, claiming all five matches (5-0) on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
The team-tie win means the Lady Eagles finish third out of eight teams with a 5-2 win-loss record in the University of Athletics Association (UAAP).
Fresh off a strong team and individual performance against Adamson, Trixie Malibiran represented the Blue and White against UST’s Panotes in the first singles match of the team-tie. Malibiran led early in the set despite Panotes employing a very aggressive style of play from the get-go (5-2). Malibiran then went on an impressive run to secure the interval at a massive 11-2 score line, eventually winning the set at a comfortable 21-9. The second set saw little difference with Malibiran running riot against her UST counterpart. Only trailing after the very first point (0-1), Malibiran again dominated winning a two-set match with an impressive second set score of 21-5.
Team Captain Bianca Carlos stepped up to face off against UST Tigress Macalino in the second singles, with the clear aim of giving Ateneo a 2-0 advantage in the team-tie. The lady shuttler dominated the set, as she climbed to an 11-3 advantage at the first interval. Inch-perfect drop shots from Carlos and a particularly venomous smash towards the end of the set saw the captain take the first set (21-8). Carlos was, however, unable to maintain her momentum in the second set as she found herself trailing by five after the first five points played (0-5). Determined to overturn the deficit, Carlos put in a display of aggressive but calculated hits that unbelievably won her a two-point lead by the interval (11-9). A stunned Panotes could only look down and nod in disbelief. The game took a tense turn as the Tigress managed to equal Carlos (15-15), but the Lady Eagle proved too skillful as she claimed the set (21-15).
The Ateneo duo of Geva De Vera and Cassie Lim took on UST’s Gaspar and Pimentel in a bid to claim the team-tie and secure a third place finish early on. Though the Lady Eagle pair struggled early in the set, they managed to claim the interval (11-7). A drop in their intensity allowed UST to pull ahead (17-19), but an inspired performance from De Vera saw Ateneo pull to level just in time to force a deuce (20-20). The Lady Eagles then proceeded to win the set in two points (22-20). With a newfound confidence against their opponents, De Vera and Lim claimed a second set with ease at 21-15. The match win gave Ateneo a team-tie win over UST and secured their place in the final four.
The second doubles match against UST’s Macalino and Aquino saw Carlos take to the court once more beside teammate Chanelle Lunod. The duo started their demolition of the Tigresses from the very start of the match securing an interval advantage of three points (11-8). Carlos and Lunod took turns claiming winners as the tantalizing tandem continued to control the set. A post-interval push saw the Lady Eagles claim the set (21-13). With Lunod particularly pumped for the next set, Ateneo claimed another early lead (11-4) and eventually claimed the set 21-10 with minimal pressure from UST. At this moment, Ateneo held a 4-0 record in the team-tie.
The final match saw single’s expert Samantha Ramos step up once more, clashing with Adamson’s Pada, in a bid to secure a straight-match victory against the host university with UST’s Aquino, who was looking to claim a consolation victory. The lady shuttler started displaying her quick reflexes and movement as well as her killer instinct. She claimed the first set interval at 11-7 and managed to increase that lead to 13-8 before an electrical problem forced a halt to the game. Shortly after the game picked up once more, Ramos found herself claiming the first set after a very impressive display of technical perfection from the Rookie. Aquino attempted to pile pressure on Ramos keeping pace early in the set (5-5), but the Lady Eagle proved too powerful as UST fell behind at the interval (11-8). UST failed to recover, handing Ramos the set and Ateneo the 5-0 win.
Clearly ecstatic about their performances, Team Captain Bianca Carlos said: “our games went well. We all enjoyed our games today. From the first to the last game, we enjoyed our games and we gave our best.” Carlos was also keen to praise teammate Trixie Malibiran on her fine singles performance.
Their next game will be a play-offs game against the National University Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, 1pm at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. The winner of the team-tie match will face the twice-to-beat De La Salle Lady Archers.
