KICKING OFF the second round, the Ateneo Women’s Table Tennis Team (AWTT) carried on their winning ways on the third day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Table Tennis Tournament. The matches were held yesterday at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.

Ateneo claimed crucial victories against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws (3-2), the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors (3-0), and the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons (4-1), but succumbed to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Paddlers (2-3). Notching three wins to improve to an overall record of 7-3, the AWTT secured their place in the tournament’s medal rounds with two matches left to play.

8:00 AM match vs UST 

Coming off an intense first-round matchup, there was no love lost between Ateneo and UST as they battled it out in five games.

In the first game, Ateneo’s Ann Gella Borbon would experience a mix of highs and lows throughout the match. The Co-Captain dropped the first set against UST’s Kaye Encarnacion, 7-11.  Despite a fiery comeback by Borbon to put herself ahead 2-1 in the match, she would fall short of claiming another victory. The Blue and White paddler found difficulty in scoring as Encarnacion took control of the next two sets, 7-11, 5-11.

The next game between Ateneo’s Jelaine Montecarlo and UST’s Janna Paculba would also be a nail-biter, but this time ending in the Loyola-Heights squad’s favor. Despite Montecarlo taking the first canto, the España-based paddler would claim sets two and three. Proving to be the rookie-star player that she is, Monteclaro would swiftly respond with a dominant 11-5 performance in set four and a close-out 11-9 victory in set five.

Similar to their previous encounter, Ateneo’s duo of Elira Docto and Kaye Aguilar would fail to crack the code in defeating UST’s Ciara Derecho and Jamielyn Villalon, getting swept by the lady paddlers, 0-3.

With the match on the line, Ateneo’s Anna Fabregar would come up clutch by sweeping her opponent, 11-4, 11-7, 11-9, to force a fifth and final game.

Hoping to give their teams their first second-round win, Ateneo’s Kathleene Bulaqueña and UST’s Kathlyn Gabisay engaged in a fierce encounter. Although proving victorious in set two, the Atenean Co-Captain struggled to get any rhythm going in the following set, only notching three points respectively. In the game’s backend, the Atenean paddler delivered a smash that would tie the score at 10 apiece. However, despite Bulaqueña’s valiant efforts, her opponent from UST would go on to close out the game and ultimately the match, 12-10.

10:30 AM match vs FEU

Looking to avenge their round-one loss, a determined flock of Blue Eagles came out of the gates strong against FEU. To start proceedings, Anna Fabregar opened her match against Shairah Gabisay in fiery fashion, rushing out into a two-set lead. However, Gabisay would stun the Atenean paddler with a rejuvenated performance, topping Fabregar 6-11. Undaunted by the set loss, Fabregar continued to edge out the Lady Tamaraw with strong offensive hustle, 11-9. 

In another back-and-forth duel, Monteclaro’s mettle was tested against FEU’s Aiezel Rom. Both contestants exchanged 11-9 set victories which then consequently saw the Blue and White taking over for the crucial set three. However, the Sampaloc-based paddler challenged Monteclaro’s offensive tactics as FEU forced a decider, 11-8. Proving to be a tough competitor, the Blue Eagle persevered to prevail in a tightly contested battle in the deciding frame, 11-9.

Coming off their disappointing loss against UST,  Elira Docto and Kaela Aguilar bounced back with a crucial game point against FEU’s Glieza Ampalid and Miriam Martinez. All sets were tightly contested, but the dynamic duo of Ateneo eventually prevailed and bested the Yellow and Green paddlers, 3-1.

Eager to close things out, Bulaqueña started slow against FEU’s Reshma Bagoongon, dropping the first set, 5-11. Determined to quickly respond, the Co-Captain would take the next two sets, 11-4 and 17-15.. With both players refusing to let up, Bulaqueña fought until the end but fell short in the fourth canto, 15-17. Missing the opportunity to end the bout in her favor, Bulaqueña conceded to her opponent in the tiebreaking set, 9-11.

Entering another do-or-die fifth game,  all eyes were on Ateneo Co-Captain Ann Borbon to seal the victory for the Blue Eagles. Despite starting the contest off early, dropping the first set 11-13, Borbon displayed her experience and composure to recuperate and win the following three frames. With the Co-Captains’ heroics, the Blue and White notched their first victory of the day, 3-2.

1:30 PM match vs UE 

Boosted by their win against FEU, the Blue Eagles dominated their third match-up of the day against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, executing their first sweep of Round Two.

Starting strong for the Blue and White once again was Borbon who silenced her UE foe from the onset. The Atenean’s mastery over her opponent was highlighted by a 10-point drubbing in the second set. Ultimately, Borbon’s solid drives down the table proved to be too much for UE’s Baltar as the Lady Warrior failed to return any of her hits, handing Ateneo the first-set victory.

Eager to continue her teammates’ sturdy start, Jelaine Monteclaro followed suit to lead two sets to none against Jean Ramos. Despite losing her four-point cushion to a 5-0 unanswered run, 8-9, Monteclaro kept her composure to secure a 2-0 team-tie lead over UE, 11-9.

Both teams welcomed the doubles bout with enthusiasm as the duo of Aguilar and Docto exchanged intense rallies over UE’s Soriano and Perez. The Blue Eagles claimed the upper hand after an extended set, 12-10, while their excellent chemistry allowed them to secure the following frame, 11-7. Sensing urgency, Soriano and Perez matched Aguilar and Docto’s fiery team spirit to extend the match, 11-5, but the Katipunan-based duo swiftly denied their chances of a comeback in the last set, 11-7.

3:30 PM match vs UP 

Enduring through one last contest, the Blue Eagles ended the long day of competition with a four-set victory over Katipunan neighbors, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.

Entrusted at the frontline was Fabregar who mercilessly showcased her skill to take the first set with a 10-point lead, 11-1. With statement serves and speedy drives down the table, she continued to overwhelm UP’s Korquina Lozada to take the first set in a commanding approach. Monteclaro consequently carried over this winning momentum against Rowena Tapia in the second match, easily stifling UP’s attempts to tie the contest, 3-0.

Aguilar and Docto returned to battle it out for the last time, however, their team chemistry proved to be insufficient against Hicap and Rusiana. The duo opened the doubles portion with an 11-4 first-set win, but the next extended opening frame belonged to the Fighting Maroons after intense exchanges of rallies between all four paddlers, 12-14. Boosted by the win, the pairing in maroon proceeded to take the next two cantos to close out the match, 3-1, and keep UP in the overall game.

Unfazed by the previous set loss,  Borbon wrapped things up for the Blue and White in a five-set thriller against Althaea Salvador. It was a back-and-forth affair as UP successfully leveled the playing field in the second set, while also claiming the next crucial canto, 13-11. Cool and collected, Borbon forced a deciding set, 11-7, with a crucial cross-court shot in the fourth frame. The veteran closed out the match and dominated until the end after strong serves that UP failed to return, 11-8.

After a 7-3 win-loss performance so far, the Ateneo Women’s Table Tennis Team has secured a spot in the Final Four of the tournament. Hoping to improve their standing and claim a better seeding, the Blue Eagles will be back in action on November 15, in the same venue, against De La Salle University and Adamson University.