BOUNCING BACK from last week’s defeat, the Ateneo Lady Eagles surpassed the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons with a commanding 3-1 win in the fifth round of matches in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Chess Tournament on Saturday, September 28 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City. 

This victory allowed Ateneo to retain third place position in the leaderboard, situating themselves right behind the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers with a 0.5-point difference. 

Merlene Membrere was situated at first board. Alexis Oseña, rising rookie Manilyn Cabungcag, and Laila Nadera took boards two, three, and four, respectively.

The Lady Eagles started strong with a win from Membrere. Momentum stalled after Oseña succumbed to her opposition in the second match, but Cabungcag and Nadera sealed the victory with triumphs of their own.

After their win, Team Captain Membrere had high hopes about the positive form the squad was in. “As of now, everyone is psyched up to win tomorrow’s game in order to have a better standing,” she said. 

“The team is happy for today’s win and optimistic for the games ahead. We just need to be confident in our abilities, stay calm, and [avoid panicking] during the games. One game at a time. That’s our mindset coming into every competition,” shared Membrere.

Ateneo hopes to take home another victory against the National University (NU) Bulldogs at 1:00 PM on Sunday, September 29 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.