THE ATENEO Blue Eagles kicked off the first round of games in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Women’s Table Tennis Tournament on Sunday, November 20, at the Makati Coliseum. Although the team emerged as victors in their best-of-five games over the Adamson (AdU) Lady Falcons and University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, they lost to the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in a tough match. 

Despite early woes against the Lady Falcons, Ateneo’s Ana Gella Borbon finished off strong with a comeback win in straight sets. Former Rookie of the Year Kaela Aguilar then showcased her dominance in the contest with exceptional service and reception, completing another sweep against AdU.

[Second Singles]
Aguilar's service ace ends another dominant set for Ateneo.

Match Score: Ateneo 2 ADU 0#UAAPTableTennis pic.twitter.com/yXEC710t2m

— Tristan A. Abuel (@Istan_TheGUIDON) November 20, 2022

Ateneo rookie Celeen Docto made minor errors, but the veteran leadership of Kathleen Bulaqueña helped the duo overcome these mistakes as they closed out their opponents in consecutive sets. This match win secured Ateneo’s first victory over Adamson this season, 3-0.

On the other hand, the second game versus the Lady Tamaraws was off to a shaky start. As timely errors and misreceives continued to define Aguilar’s performance, Ateneo was forced to hand over the first team-tie point to FEU. However, Ateneo’s Sophia Fabregar quickly closed the gap with last-minute shots that allowed a draw, 1-1. 

[Second Singles]
Ateno's Fabregar comes in the clutch and closes the set strong, 12-10. The Blue and White ties the team tie score.

Match Score: Ateneo 3 FEU 1
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 1 FEU 1#UAAPTableTennis

— Tristan A. Abuel (@Istan_TheGUIDON) November 20, 2022

The Bulaqueña-Docto duo then engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth trade of sets with their FEU counterparts. Despite commanding the lead early in the game, the Blue and White pair’s efforts fell short in the fifth set. With Borbon looking to bring Ateneo back on the winning track, careful sets painted with composure outpowered FEU in three sets, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8, forcing a do-or-die fifth game. 

Ateneo fought hard with heads held high after a two-match win run led by Team Captain Ana Calvo. However, two crucial errors that cornered Calvo into a tight spot made her unsuccessful in securing Ateneo’s second win of the day, clinching the 2-3 win for FEU. 

In the next match against UP, Borbon took the stage once again to bounce back from their loss against FEU. Although a costly net error against UP caused her the second set, Borbon resumed her dominant run in the third set with another team-tie point for Ateneo. Fabregar then followed suit with impressive gambits and a final service ace to extend their lead, 2-0 for Ateneo. 

[Second Singles]
Fabregar claims the set and finishes the match with a service ace!

Match Score: Ateneo 3 UP 1
Team Tie Score: Ateneo 2 UP 0#UAAPTableTennis pic.twitter.com/AG5dNpglp7

— Tristan A. Abuel (@Istan_TheGUIDON) November 20, 2022

Although the Ateneo veteran-rookie pair Bulaqueña and Docto resumed their play with offensive shots that brought both match scores to a tie, crucial serves from the Fighting Maroons bested the pair in their final set. Aguilar in the singles match then took the final decider into five sets. After both ladies took turns ruling the roost, the Blue Eagles concluded the contest with their second win of the day, 3-1, against the Fighting Maroons. 

The Blue Eagles are set to go against defending champions UST Lady Tigresses, the DLSU Lady Archers, and the UE Lady Warriors tomorrow at the Makati Coliseum in the City of Makati for the second round of games. 

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

First Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Dave): 12-10, 16-14, 12-10

Second Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs Macatangay): 11-5, 14-11, 11-2

First Women’s Doubles (Bulaqueña and Docto vs Llorente and Buendia): 11-8, 14-12, 11-7

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

First Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs Rom): 10-12, 7-11, 7-11 

Second Women’s Singles (Fabregar vs Ampilad): 11-7, 8-11,  12-10, 12-10

First Women’s Doubles (Bulaqueña and Docto vs Yu and Martinez): 11-7, 3-11, 15-3, 7-11, 9-11

Third Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Cañada): 11-5, 11-6, 11-8

Fourth Women’s Singles (Calvo vs Bagongon): 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 7-11 

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

First Women’s Singles (Borbon vs Obaña): 11-7, 7-11 11-3, 11-4

Second Women’s Singles (Fabregar vs Dayrit): 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7

First Women’s Doubles (Bulaqueña and Docto vs Hicap and Ruisiana): 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11

Third Women’s Singles (Aguilar vs Depiedra): 12-10, 10-12, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4