THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles continued their University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season with matches against Far Eastern University (FEU) and University of the East (UE) on Sunday, February 12 at De La Salle University in Manila.

Blue Eagles continue to grow but lack endgame conviction

The Blue Eagles were determined to keep in contention for a mid-table spot, as they entered their third match at 6th eplace. Team Captain Ricki Yao, along with veterans Renzo Marquez and Jolo Lat, as well as rookie Gavin Ong took on the responsibility of representing the Blue and White against the Tamaraws.

A pair of mixed-up openings from Lat and Ong and some rash moves from Marquez ended the trio’s chances of claiming victories from their matches. Yao’s match went on significantly longer, but ended similarly after missing a key move during the endgame. The Blue Eagles ended their first set of matches 0-4.

The second match saw the same line-up take on UE, now with a renewed sense of urgency in terms of garnering points to remain in contention for their mid-table target. The final result of 0-4 did not do justice to the well-fought games of the Blue Eagles, with rookie Gavin Ong almost managing a win until a costly blunder was made in the endgame.

Yao commended the efforts of his teammates, singling Ong for an outstanding performance. “The experience was definitely good for him. He can use this performance as a stepping stone to better ones. He has great potential.”

On the subject of the upcoming matches, Yao was also keen to emphasize that the team is keen to change their results and that the day’s matches would greatly contribute to each player’s experience.

Team Captain Membrere furthers her UAAP tally

The Lady Eagles line-up for the match against FEU consisted of Aryanne De Ocampo, Bren Membrere, Mine Sandoval, and Jill Feliciano. FEU proved too powerful for the quartet of Blue and Whites, as the Lady Eagles, similarly, lost to FEU 0-4, failing to add points to their tally in their first match.

The Lady Eagles line-up featured a largely changed quartet with only Sandoval and Membrere participating against UE. Anna De Duque and Jasmine Principe replaced Feliciano and De Ocampo in their bid to gain points against UE.

The Lady Eagles Team Captain led by example, with an exemplary and hard-fought point, but her teammates were unable to follow, leaving the Lady Eagles with a 1-3 record against opponents UE.

Membrere’s win was the only point the Eagles managed on a tough day for the Blue and White that featured a congested two-match schedule a factor to the under-par performances.

Despite the losses, both teams will be looking to come back strong in the next couple of rounds against Adamson University and University of the Philippines (UP) on Sunday, February 19 at De La Salle University, Manila.

Membrere shines on a tough day for Ateneo Chess

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