The Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team (AWBT) suffered a tough setback as the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs shattered their six-year winning streak earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.
The 2-3 team-tie outcome puts the erstwhile undefeated AWBT at a 3-1 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Women’s Badminton tournament. Notably, Team Captains Mika De Guzman of Ateneo and Sarah Joy Barredo of NU did not play during this game.
Atenean sophomore Angel Valle opened the stage against NU’s Ysabel Amora in the day’s first singles match. Although Valle showed bursts of intensity through powerful smashes and precision drops, her initial momentum wavered due to misjudged returns and clipped shots at the net, allowing Amora to secure a 21-10 first set win.
Following this initial setback, Valle approached the second set with renewed focus, sparking a fierce rally that saw both players deadlocked at 2-2. However, as Valle’s game was plagued with unforced errors anew, Amora’s consistent accuracy tipped the scales, ultimately widening the gap and handing NU the set and the first team-tie win at 21-16.
Determined to shift the momentum in the second singles bout, Ateneo rookie Althea Ocampo brought calculated energy against NU’s Tia Bualat. Displaying veteran-like poise, Ocampo capitalized on Bualat’s early missteps, racing to a formidable 11-4 lead before confidently closing out the first set at 21-12.
The subsequent set saw a tighter contest, with each player locked in amid intense rallies that kept the score even at 9-9. Taking advantage of Bualat’s mounting faults, Ocampo unleashed precise drop shots that pierced the Lady Bulldog’s defenses to clinch Ateneo’s first team-tie victory with a composed 21-16 finish.
Following Ocampo, the first doubles match saw Ateneo’s Maxine Olango and Althea Fuentespina succumb to NU’s Jeya Von Pinlac and Andria Songcuan in an intense three-set showdown. The Sampaloc-based duo initially led with a narrow advantage in the first set, but Ateneo found their rhythm, reaching a tense 19-19 tie. In a decisive rally, NU misfired with a shot that went out of bounds, allowing the Blue Eagles to scrape through with a hard-fought 21-19 victory.
However, the grueling pace took its toll on the Katipunan-based pairing, allowing NU to seize control of the second set with powerful smashes and extended rallies, 21-8. Ateneo fought to keep up in the third set, but NU’s unyielding offense ultimately broke through, 21-10.
With the Blue Eagles on the verge of a loss, Missy Cervantes and Ocampo took on NU’s Gwyneth Desa Cola and Lee Ann Jane De Leon in the second doubles clash. Both teams wrestled for control, with the score tied at key intervals. Ultimately, NU exploited glaring gaps in Ateneo’s defenses, narrowly claiming the opening set at 21-16.
Refusing to back down, the Atenean duo recalibrated in the second set, overcoming an early 0-2 deficit. The pairing’s determination paid off as they surged ahead, ultimately sealing the set, 21-17, highlighted by a decisive smash that left NU with no room to respond. Riding the wave, Cervantes and Ocampo controlled the final set to seal the match, 21-7.
In a nail-biting decider with the team-tie score at 2-all, Ateneo’s Feeby Ferrer clashed with NU’s Karyll Rio. Ferrer quickly established dominance, racing to a 12-6 lead with a flurry of powerful hits. The Atenean veteran confidently took the first set at 21-14, but momentum shifted in the second as unforced errors crept in, allowing her Sampaloc-based foe to clinch the tight set, 22-20.
The third set began with both players trading points, but Ferrer quickly fell behind as Rio surged to a 10-6 lead. Despite a brief rally that brought Ferrer within striking distance at 17-18, she struggled to regain her footing after Rio’s counter efforts. In the final moments, Rio tightened her grip on the match, forcing Ferrer into errors and cementing the victory for NU at 21-17.
Undeterred by the defeat, the AWBT will hope to cap the elimination round with a victory against Katipunan neighbors University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons tomorrow, October 27, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-NU: 2-3
Results:
First Singles: Amora (NU) def. Valle (Ateneo)
Second Singles: Ocampo (Ateneo) def. Bualat (NU)
First Doubles: Pinlac and Songcuan (NU) def. Olango and Fuentespina (Ateneo)
Second Doubles: Ferrer and Olango Cervantes and Ocampo (Ateneo) def. Desa Cola and De Leon (NU)
Third Singles: Rio (NU) def. Ferrer (Ateneo)
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (4-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (3-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-1)
- UST Lady Shuttlers (1-3)
- DLSU Lady Shuttlers (1-3)
- AdU Lady Falcons (0-4)
