CONTINUING A dominant campaign so far in the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Badminton tournament, the Ateneo Lady Eagles collected their third victory in a 4-1 team-tie win over the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons on Friday, September 29 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
Outclassing the Lady Falcons four sets to one, the Lady Eagles remain undefeated in the tournament, bumping their win-loss record up to 3-0.
Veteran Chanelle Lunod took to the court for the first women’s singles match, going head to head with AdU’s Clydel Pada. Despite controlling the match early, Lunod found herself locked in a back-and-forth battle with Pada, who eventually claimed the first set at 16-21. Pada dictated the tempo again in the second to take an early lead, but the Lady Falcon was unable to stop a fantastic run from Lunod, who fought tooth and nail to tie the set at 17-17. Several rallies later saw Lunod eventually fall to her opponent, surrendering the second set at 19-21.
Down 0-1 in the overall team-tie score, Bianca Carlos leveled the playing field as she took on Mika Aquino in the second women’s singles. Carlos took no time dispatching her AdU foe and dominated throughout the match, restricting Aquino to single-digits to earn a straight-set victory at 21-7, 21-9.
Lady Eagles Trixie Malibiran and Geva De Vera combined forces in the first women’s doubles match, where they faced the Adamson duo of Alyssa San Pedro and Jhayanne Macabenta. Near perfect chemistry kept Malibiran and De Vera on top of their foes throughout the contest, as the Lady Eagles dominated for a 21-8, 21-12 finish to put Ateneo ahead 2-1 on the team-tie score.
With the momentum swaying in their favor, Carlos paired up with Team Captain Cassie Lim in the second women’s doubles match against Adamson’ Pada and Aquino. With Lim well-rested entering her first match of the day, the Lady Eagle duo dispatched a full assault, working smoothly to open space and attack holes on the Adamson court. Carlos and Lim made short work of their foes to earn a 21-12, 21-17 win and seal the team-tie victory for Ateneo.
Rookie Aly Roxas made her UAAP debut in the third women’s singles match and final match of the day, clashing with Lady Falcon Jhayanne Macabenta. Stepping up to the court for the first time in her Ateneo career, Roxas impressed with composure on the court and played a clean game throughout both sets. Forcing Macabenta off positions to set up space for open drives, Roxas earned her first victory in two sets, ending the team-tie with a fourth win at 21-18, 21-7.
Still on a flawless run in the competition so far, Lim praised her team’s patience in working their way back to the top, one step at a time. “I think we’ve been very focused from the start, like we’ve really taken it one at a time,” she shared. “I think that made the difference, that focusing on it one at a time, not really focusing on the future, just the now.”
The Lady Eagles play their much-awaited duel with the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Fighting Maroons on Saturday, September 30, where they will square off against the badminton giants that dramatically outlasted them for the gold in the finals of last season.
Lim, however, sticks to a game plan of patience and focus on the court, treating the match like any other team-tie with the team ready to give it their all.
“We’re [going to] enter the team-tie the same way we’ve entered the previous team-ties,” said Lim. “We haven’t relaxed in any way, so we’re [going to] enter the team-tie [today] focused and prepared.”
Match Score
Ateneo 4 AdU 1
Set Scores
First Women’s Singles (Lunod vs. Pada): 16-21, 19-21
Second Women’s Singles (Carlos vs. Aquino): 21-7, 21-9
First Women’s Doubles (Malibiran and De Vera vs. San Pedro and Macabenta): 21-8, 21-12
Second Women’s Doubles (Carlos and Lim vs. Pada and Aquino): 21-12, 21-17
Third Women’s Singles (Roxas vs. Macabenta): 21-18, 21-7
