LEARNING FROM their first round loss to the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons, the Ateneo Lady Eagles decided to make some adjustments to their lineup in today’s Battle of Katipunan in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Women’s Lawn Tennis Tournament on Sunday, March 17, at the Colegio San Agustin-Bulacan Tennis Stadium in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. The change in lineup proved to work in their favor as it resulted in a victory for the Blue and White, defeating the Lady Maroons, 3-2.

Nicole Amistad started off the day and suited up for the Lady Eagles in the first singles match against UP’s Khim Iglupas. The Atenean lost her footing early on against the Lady Maroon and was forced to play catch-up against her opponent. In spite of her valiant effort, she dropped the match in straight sets, 1-6, 1-6. This gave the UP Lady Maroons the advantage in the team-tie standing, 0-1, to start the day.

Determined to even out the score, rookie standout Shaira Rivera exacted revenge for Ateneo by defeating her UP counterpart, Ma. Delrose Duran, in the second singles match. Rivera put on a stellar performance, winning in two straight dominating sets that featured 6-0 victories to equalize the team-tie set scores at one apiece.

In a grueling match that lasted for almost two hours, the duo of Alexis McLean and Bettina Bautista laced up for Ateneo against UP’s Dana Uy and Francaix Manguiat. After dropping the first set, 4-6, the Lady Eagles grabbed a 5-3 advantage as they tried to get back into the match. Despite a strong showing, however, their courageous efforts ended in heartbreaking fashion as the Lady Maroons retaliated and won four straight games to ice the match for UP, 5-7. This propelled the Lady Maroons above the Blue and White, 1-2, in the team-tie score.

Next up was the outstanding duo of Team Captain Jana Hernandez and Titan Llavore. Despite having never played together this season, the tandem showcased their tremendous chemistry and easily breezed past Lady Maroons Theresa Tan and Nica Alanis. The Blue and White duo won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, to level the team-tie score at 2-2.

With the score tied after four matches, all eyes were on Ateneo co-captain Jana Pages, who played the third and deciding singles match against Danielle Carranza. She showed composure and dominance in the first set, taking it to 6-3 to swing the momentum back to her side.

Not wanting to go down without a fight, Carranza fought back in the second set. She forced the game to a tie-break, and eventually won the second set, 6(5)-7(7), after being down by five points. Despite this, Pages’ fighting spirit shone in the third and final set. She outplayed Carranza, unleashing a number of smart shots to tire out her opponent and claim the crucial third set at 6-3, and, consequently, the team-tie, 3-2.

Now standing with a 4-3 win-loss record, the Lady Eagles are tied with NU in second place. To keep themselves in championship contention, they must win against the UST Lady Tigresses in their match next Sunday, March 31 at the same venue.

Team-tie score: Ateneo 3 UP 2

Set scores:
First Singles: Iglupas def. Amistad (Ateneo), 1-6, 1-6

Second Singles: Rivera (Ateneo) def. Duran, 6-1,6-0

Third Singles: Pages (Ateneo) def. Danielle Carranza, 6-3, 6(5)-7(7), 6-3

First Doubles: Uy and Manguiat def. McLean and Bautista (Ateneo), 4-6, 5-7

Second Doubles: Llavore and Hernandez (Ateneo) def. Tan and Alanis, 6-1, 6-1