ON THE heels of their opening day win, the Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team closed out the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 4-1, oin the second day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Women’s Badminton Tournament. The clash took place earlier today, October 12, at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.
This win keeps Ateneo at the tournament’s top seed along with the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons.
Beginning the day for the Blue Eagles was Team Captain Mika De Guzman, who overwhelmed NU’s Hailene Diaz, 2-0. The opening minutes found De Guzman making uncharacteristic errors that sent the match to a three-all deadlock. With the engines warmed, the Blue Eagle veteran dished out an instant 8-0 run until the interval, 11-3. Despite an attack by Diaz in the second half, De Guzman controlled the pace every step of the way, taking the first set, 21-13.
Second set action found the Ateneo skipper battling point for point with NU’s Diaz, 5-4. Determined to find a comfortable footing, the Katipunan shuttler chased the shuttlecock for consecutive possessions, leading to six unanswered points, 13-4. Recovering from two forced errors, the three-time UAAP champion sent a rocket flying to the other end to keep control, 14-6. From then on, De Guzman never looked back, winning Ateneo’s first team-tie point, 1-0, in a 21-7 rout.
Following her teammate’s dominant first match, Ateneo sophomore Althea Ocampo took on NU’s Ysabel Amora. At the onset of the first set, reigning Rookie of the Year Ocampo struggled to catch drop shots by her adversary, giving up the match’s first three points, 0-3. A flurry of aggressive rallies from the Blue Eagle athlete allowed her to cut the lead to one by the interval, 10-11. Finding her groove by the latter half, Ocampo unleashed a commanding offensive to put Ateneo up, 16-14. The Blue Eagle shuttler eventually closed the door on the opening set, 21-17.
The following set found Ocampo in another hole, failing to catch fast-tracking serves in time, 3-5. The Blue Eagle shuttler managed to get some clean rallies but fell behind midway, 8-16. Despite mustering up some late-match offense, too many offensive mistakes dropped the set for Ocampo, 12-21.
The rubber match saw the Katipunan-based sophomore correct her early-match starts by going up 5-3. The wearing match wore on Ocampo, who fell short on multiple rallies, eventually ending up in an 8-all deadlock. Through powerful smashes, the Blue Eagle’s shots gained her the 15-12 advantage. An absolute battle for a point that saw all corners of the court ended with Ocampo sending the shuttlecock towards her opponent’s chest, keeping her ahead, 17-14. The effects of the battle wore down the Blue Eagle as she fell to a 7-0 NU barrage, 17-21, that gave Ateneo their first setback of the season, 1-1.
Stepping onto the court with unwavering focus, the tried-and-true tandem of Jochelle Alvarez and De Guzman opened the women’s doubles campaign for Ateneo against NU’s Hailene Diaz and Naoemi Gulpany, delivering a 2-0 win against NU. The Blue Eagles wasted no time seizing control of the tempo, with the duo’s steady baseline giving Ateneo a clear edge, 15-7. NU struggled to find their footing with a series of net and outside errors, granting the Blue and White even more breathing room, 20-11. Moments later, another mistimed return from Diaz sealed the deal, as Ateneo cruised to the first-set victory, 21-11.
The second set began with the momentum swinging toward NU, as Diaz and Gulpany jumped to an early 6-3 lead. Slowly but surely, Ateneo clawed its way back into contention through a series of strategic placements by Alvarez and De Guzman. The tandem gradually closed the gap at 10-all, reestablishing momentum midway through the frame. Feeding off the regained momentum, De Guzman came forward with a decisive smash that punctuated a spirited run, giving Ateneo a 17-13 advantage. Refusing to let up, the Blue Eagles maintained their aggressive tempo until Alvarez delivered the final shot, sealing the second set 21-15 and securing Ateneo’s first doubles victory of the day.
Needing just one more victory to clinch the contest, Ateneo fielded the duo of Althea Rio Fuentespina and Althea Princess Hernandez for the second doubles match against NU’s Amora and Gwyneth Desacola. Both pairs then traded blows in a series of long rallies, with neither side allowing the other to gain much separation. The exchanges grew increasingly tactical as both duos mixed paces, eventually finding themselves deadlocked at 9-all midway through the frame.
Refusing to yield, Fuentespina broke the deadlock with a flurry of well-placed shots that pushed Ateneo ahead, before rookie Hernandez followed up with a composed smash to widen the gap. With their coordination in display, the duo strung together a 17-13 advantage heading into the closing stretch. As the frame neared its conclusion, the tension inside grew when both sides engaged in relentless back-and-forth rallies, with neither side willing to concede an inch. The lead quickly vanished as both pairs found themselves at 19-all in a thrilling endgame showdown.
With pressure mounting, the Blue Eagles turned once more to their composure. Fuentespina rose to the moment, unleashing two consecutive smashes right above the net. This exchange broke the deadlock and sealed the opener as Ateneo claimed the first set, 21-19, to inch closer to a team-tie win.
The second set opened with Ateneo momentarily on the back foot, as NU’s Amora and Desacola surged to a 9-6 lead. Undeterred, the Blue Eagles steadied their rhythm, with Fuentespina dictating play from the backcourt and Hernandez matching NU’s intensity at the net. Both sides engaged in gritty rallies, keeping the set within reach. Despite Ateneo’s late push to close the gap at 18-20, the tandem fell just short as a fault from Fuentespina ended the set, 21-18, sending the match to a deciding third set.
Determined to bounce back, the Blue Eagles stormed into a renewed composure to open the third set, building a commanding 10-4 advantage. Fuentespina continued to anchor the backcourt as Hernandez disrupted NU’s rhythm from the front. Their seamless coordination widened the lead to 17-9, as Ateneo’s tactical precision left NU’s Amora and Desacola struggling to respond. A failed smash from NU’s Desacola that clipped the net sealed the outcome, handing the Blue Eagles the third set, 21-11, and the match victory. With that, Ateneo completed a commanding doubles sweep, adding another confident stride in their UAAP Season 88 campaign.
In the final match held for formality, the Blue Eagles enlisted Co-Captain Alvarez, who took on NU’s Karyll Rio. Despite a slow start from the Blue and White skipper, Alvarez maintained composure and forced errors to take the first set, 21-16. With a chance to complete a personal sweep, the Blue Eagle veteran overwhelmed the Lady Bulldog to win her match, 21-14, finishing Ateneo’s afternoon with a 4-1 team-tie score.
The Blue Eagles set their sights on keeping their record unblemished as they take on the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons on Wednesday, October 15, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-NU: 4-1
Results:
First Singles: De Guzman (Ateneo) def. Diaz (NU), 21-13, 21-7
Second Singles: Amora (NU) def. Ocampo (Ateneo), 21-17, 12-21, 17-21
First Doubles: De Guzman & Alvarez (Ateneo) def. Diaz & Gulpany (NU), 21-11, 21-15
Second Doubles: Fuentespina & Hernandez (Ateneo) Amora & Deascola (NU), 21-19, 18-21, 21-11
Third Singles: Alvarez (Ateneo) def. Rio (NU), 21-16, 21-14
Current Standings (W-L):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (1-1)
- AdU Lady Falcons (1-1)
- UST Lady Shuttlers (0-2)
- DLSU Lady Shuttlers (0-2)
