THE ATENEO Women’s Table Tennis Team capped off the fourth day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Table Tennis Tournament by routing the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 3-0, but stumbled against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers on Thursday, November 13, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.

The first match of the day saw Ateneo’s Ann Borbon suit up against UE’s Garrucho. Errors on the Lady Warrior’s end allowed Borbon an advantage early in the first set. The Lady Eagle never looked back from there and toppled Garrucho in straight sets 11-5, 11-8, 11-5. 

Ateneo deployed Kaela Aguilar to challenge UE’s Vasquez in the next match. The Lady Warriors began the first set strong, but Aguilar managed to rally from a four-point deficit to finish with a score of 11-8. Despite allowing a comeback in the opening set, the Lady Eagle held off to beat Vasquez in the next three sets, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5. 

Looking to secure the sweep for the Lady Eagles, Geque Carado and Nadine Uy went head-to-head with Lady Warriors Dimaal and Lague. Despite trailing the Lady Warriors, Carado and Uy remained calm and produced a four-point rally to complete a comeback win in the first set, 12-10. The Lady Eagles finished off their UE counterparts in the following sets at 11-6 each–ensuring their final team tie victory of the first round at 3-0.

Following an impressive first round finish, the Lady Eagles had their work cut out for them as their first outing of the second round pitted them against the only team that tarnished their win-loss record in the first round—the De La Salle Lady Archers.

Aguilar opened Ateneo’s second-round proceedings against DLSU’s Crystal Canoos. The Lady Archer held on for four sets but eventually fell to Aguilar, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9. Angela Borbon went on to face DLSU’s Rein Teodoro in the next match. The Lady Eagle fell in the first set, 10-12, but recovered in the second and third sets, winning 11-5 and 11-8, respectively. With Borbon only one set away from victory, Teodoro overpowered the Lady Eagle in the fourth set, 6-11, and fifth set, 4-11. 

Ateneo fielded a different pairing for doubles, as Team Captain Hellari Calvo and Kath Bulaqueña to took on the DLSU duo of Kimberly Sorongon and Jasmine Tan. Down by two sets, the Lady Eagle duo came alive in the third and unleashed an 11-2 victory. However, the Lady Archers cut their comeback short, winning in four sets, 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 8-11. 

Ateneo’s Ana Calvo dueled DLSU’s Caressha Bernaldez once again in the fourth match. After getting swept by Calvo in their first round meeting, the Lady Archer put up a fierce fight that extended to five sets. The Lady Eagle surrendered sets two and four but eventually overcame Bernaldez, 11-4, 10-12, 11-2, 11-13, 12-10.

With the team-tie score deadlocked at two points apiece, Ateneo’s Geque Carado and DLSU’s Jhoana Go clashed in a fifth-match nailbiter. Go struck the initial blow, taking the first set at 6-11. Carado returned the attack and claimed sets two and three, 12-10 and 11-3, respectively. With her back against the wall, Go halted the Lady Eagle in the fourth set, 7-11. The Lady Archer finished off Carado in the fifth set, 5-11, and granted her squad the team tie victory. 

Despite giving up their first fixture of the second round, the Lady Eagles remain atop the tournament standings with a 6-2 overall record. The Lady Eagles look to continue their remarkable run in the fifth UAAP Season 82 Women’s Table Tennis matchday on Saturday, November 16, 8:00AM, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City. 

Set Scores (Ateneo-UST): Ateneo – 3 , UE – 0

First Women’s Singles (Borbon vs. Garrucho): 11-5, 11-8, 11-5

Second Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs. Vasquez): 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5

First Women’s Doubles (Carado and Uy vs. Dimaal and Lague): 12-10, 11-6, 11-6

Set Scores (Ateneo-DLSU): Ateneo – 2 , DLSU – 3

First Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs. Canoos): 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9

Second Women’s Singles (Borbon vs. Teodoro): 10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 4-11

First Women’s Doubles (H. Calvo and Bulaqueña vs. Sorongon and Tan): 7-11, 7-11, 11-2, 8-11

Third Women’s Singles (A. Calvo vs. Bernaldez): 11-4, 10-12, 11-2, 11-13, 12-10

Fourth Women’s Singles (Carado vs. Go): 6-11, 12-10, 11-3, 7-11, 5-11