DESPITE HAVING swept their elimination round matchups against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, the Ateneo Lady Eagles fell victim to a change of script and failed to clinch the last spot in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Women’s Lawn Tennis Tournament Finals as they suffered a heartbreaking 2-3 loss in their do-or-die duel held last Saturday, April 6, at the Colegio San Agustin-Bulacan Tennis Stadium in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.

Off to a promising start, co-captain Jana Pages showcased a dominant performance and gave Ateneo its first team-tie as she nearly tallied a flawless game with an easy 6-1, 6-0 outing against Lady Bulldog Zan Dumlao.

Rookie Shaira Rivera then continued to swing the tides for Ateneo as she ended her impressive unbeaten debut season campaign with another convincing 2-set victory against NU’s Annie Tumanda, 6-2, 6-0

Fielded in for the first doubles were sophomores Carmen So and Martina Bautista. Despite putting up a spirited fight, the pair was eventually outlasted by Jzash Canja and Cza Antalan, 3-6, 3-4.

Nicole Amistad then suited up for the third singles match of the day. Matched up with Clarice Patrimonio, Amistad lost her footing early on and could not recover. She dropped the match in two sets, 2-6, 0-6, which gave the NU Lady Bulldogs a lifeline in the team tie.

The final and deciding match of the day saw co-captain and fifth year player Jana Hernandez and rookie Titan Llavore take the court for the second doubles. They were set to face NU’s Mae Bornia and Alliah Ragunton. Despite the tandem from the Katipunan squad having shown great chemistry in the past, it was no match for the composed and dominating performance of the Lady Bulldogs. The ladies from the Sampaloc based squad made light work of the ladies in the blue and white, defeating them in 2-sets, 6-0, 6-3.

Despite a strong start to the season, the Ateneo Women’s Lawn Tennis Team finish their season in third place, falling just short of back-to-back finals appearances in the tourney. The end of the Lady Eagles’ campaign also marks the conclusion of 4-time Team Captain Hernandez’s UAAP career.  

Photo by Reyneal Vargas