Semifinals Day 1 vs UE, UST, and FEU

AFTER CLOSING the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Women’s Table Tennis Tournament eliminations with an impressive 3-0 win, Ateneo secured themselves a spot in the Final Four. The Blue Eagles triumphed over the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, the defending champions University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Paddlers, and the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in yesterday’s matches. Their wins placed them at a 9-3 win-loss record and second place in the overall standings. 

Ana Gella Borbon opened the match for the Blue Eagles with a win against Lady Warrior Athens Saldua. Despite falling short in the third set, Borbon swiftly bounced back in the next set to claim the first team-tie point for Ateneo. Building on Borbon’s momentum, rookie Sophia Fabregar carried on the winning streak to the next singles match with an effortless win. 

Ateneo co-captains Kathleen Bulaqueña and Ana Calvo then proceeded with another three-set win in the first doubles match against their UE counterparts. Exhibiting composure and tenacity all throughout, the Blue and White ended their first doubles match with a convincing win against the Lady Warriors. 

The next event saw Fabregar suit up against UST Lady Paddler Corrine Cartera. Although Fabregar ended the first set with an 11-9 win, Cartera broke free in the second set with consecutive scoring runs that gave UST the next match point. Nonetheless, Fabregar was quick enough to regain her footing and seal the match with another victory. Borbon then stepped in with exceptional offensive shots that gave her enough leverage to power through the match against UST’s Kate Encarnacion.

[Second Singles]

Despite an early deficit, Borbon quickly regains her momentum and ends the final set with a winning smash.

Match Score: Ateneo 3 UST 1
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 2 UST 0#UAAPTableTennis pic.twitter.com/1ZOJOzwJly

— Eury See (@Eury_TheGUIDON) November 24, 2022

With a final match point waiting to be collected by Ateneo, Bulaqueña and Calvo once again stunned their doubles opponents in consecutive sets for a 3-0 triumph against the UST Lady Paddlers. 

A thrilling match between Fabregar and FEU’s Reshma Bagongon then opened the floor for the final tie. As both ladies gave each other opportunities to dominate the sets, Bagongon was able to force out a fifth do-or-die set after an Ateneo misreceive. However, crosscourt errors that overpowered Fabregar’s valiant efforts gave FEU the upper hand by the end of the match. 

[First Singles]

A reception error from Fabregar allows Bagongon to claim the first team tie point for the Lady Tamaraws.

Match Score: Ateneo 2 FEU 3
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 0 FEU 1 #UAAPTableTennis pic.twitter.com/OEGDwRkrHK

— Eury See (@Eury_TheGUIDON) November 24, 2022

In hopes of bouncing back from the loss, Borbon’s improved steady shots down the line ushered Ateneo to a draw in the team-tie scores, 1-1. Fueled by the team’s newfound groundwork, the Bulaqueña-Calvo pair then eased their way through the first doubles match in another clean sweep. With Kaela Aguilar finally looking to bring an end to the final decider, offensive drives that painted her performance led Ateneo towards their third consecutive win for the day.

[Third Singles]

Aguilar paints the fourth set with offensive drives that brings Ateneo another win, 11-8!

Match Score: Ateneo 3 FEU 1
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 3 FEU 1 #UAAPTableTennis pic.twitter.com/kxdVlUGKer

— Eury See (@Eury_TheGUIDON) November 24, 2022

Set scores (Ateneo-UE): Ateneo – 3 UE – 0

First Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Saldua): 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-8

Second Women’s Singles (Fabregar vs Valenzuela): 11-8, 13-11, 11-3

First Women’s Doubles (Calvo and Bulaqueña vs Dimaala and Perez): 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 

Set scores (Ateneo-UST): Ateneo – 3 UST – 0

First Women’s Singles (Fabergar vs Cartera): 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6

Second Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Encarnacion): 11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6

First Women’s Doubles (Bulaqueña and Calvo vs Gabisay and Villanueva): 11-9, 11-8, 11-5

Set scores (Ateneo-FEU): Ateneo – 3 FEU – 1

First Women’s Singles (Fabregar vs Bagonon): 8-11, 11-9, 16-14, 7-11, 6-11

Second Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Rom): 11-6, 11-4, 13-11

First Women’s Doubles (Bulaqueña and Calvo vs Yu and Martinez): 11-5, 11-6, 11-3

Third Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs Cañada): 7-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8

Semifinals Day 2 vs UST

THE ATENEO Blue Eagles succumbed to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Paddlers, 2-3, in the stepladder semifinals of the UAAP Season 85 Women’s Table Tennis Tournament. The battle for a ticket to the championship took place earlier today, in the Makati Coliseum.

In the fight for second seed, UST established an early 0-2 team-tie score lead. The Katipunan-based squad was represented in the opening match by Ana Gella Borbon against UST’s Kate Encarnacion. Encarnacion started the match with a 6-11 victory but Borbon bounced back in the second set, 11-6. However, Encarnacion finished the match with two straight set wins.

The first match was followed by a back-and-forth affair between Ateneo rookie Sophia Fabregar and UST’s Emery Digamon. Both players exchanged long rallies that saw them tied in sets after the fourth set. In the decisive fifth set, Fabregar faltered against Digamon, 9-11. Down two matches to none, Ateneo seniors Kath Bulaqueña and Ana Calvo stepped up in the doubles category.

Matched up against Lady Paddlers Kathlyn Gabisay and Ciara Derecho, the Ateneo duo saw themselves down two sets to none early in the match. With their season on the line, Bulaqueña and Calvo showcased their experience as they climbed from the huge deficit and completed a reverse sweep, 3-2.

Building up from her senior’s momentum, Season 82 Rookie of the Year Kaela Aguilar swept UST’s Trystal Cagande. Aguilar’s dominance was shown throughout the set as Cagande’s score never surpassed six in all three sets. With the team-tie score deadlocked at 2-2, Ateneo’s Celeen Docto matched up against UST’s Corrine Cortera in the deciding match. Cartera showed her prowess in the first two sets with dominant wins over the Blue and White’s Docto. 

With the Ateneo rookie’s loss in the final set, UST was able to secure the win and the finals ticket, paving the way for a match-up between UST and the De La Salle University Lady Paddlers in tomorrow’s championship showdown. The Blue Eagles thus conclude the tournament with a 9-4 record, with their heads held high as they take home the bronze medal.

Set scores (Ateneo-UST): Ateneo – 2 UST – 3 

First Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Encarnacion): 6-11, 11-6, 9-11, 5-11

Second Women’s Singles (Fabregar vs Digamon): 11-8, 7-11, 13-15, 11-05, 9-11

First Women’s Doubles (Bulaqueña and Calvo vs Villanueva and Digamon): 7-11, 8-11, 11-5, 12-10, 14-12

Third Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs Cagande): 11-6, 11-5, 11-6

Fourth Women’s Singles (Docto vs Cartera): 4-11, 6-11, 13-15