THE ATENEO Lady Eagles swept the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons, 4-0, in the third round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Chess Tournament on September 21 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion. 

Ateneo’s convincing victory marks the first time they have swept an opponent in team history. Today’s results also mean that they continue their unbeaten run of form this season, holding a 2-1-0 record that boasts an opening-day victory over defending champions De La Salle University (DLSU). The Lady Eagles sit in second place, just one point behind Far Eastern University (FEU). 

In action today were Merlene Membrere, Alexis Anne Oseña, Manilyn Cabungcag, and Laila Nadera, who occupied boards one, two, three, and four, respectively. All four Lady Eagles outclassed their matchups, but Cabungcag in particular has emerged as a rising star for the squad, winning all three of her tournament matches so far. To date, Cabungcag has defeated last year’s Rookie of the Year, DLSU’s Samantha Revita , recent finalist in the National Grand Finals, UST’s May Ann Alcantara, and UP’s consistent scorer, Justnin Macapuno.

Coach Yves Ranelo attributes their strong start to a mix of strong recruitment and preparation.  “Sa tingin ko, yung confidence nila ngayon nanggagaling sa maraming buwan ng preparasyon. Kasama na dito yung pagpapalakas lalo ng line-up namin dahil sa bago naming recruit, si Manilyn (I think their confidence  comes from many months of preparation. Our new recruit Manilyn also helped strengthen our line-up),” said Ranelo.

When asked to comment on the team’s milestone achievement today, Cabungcag answered, “Nagawa namin ‘tong 4-0 dahil sa unity. Dahil ito sa pagkakaisa namin (We were able to win 4-0 because of our unity. We were one team.)”The fight continues for the Blue and White as they prepare to face FEU at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 22, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.