THE ATENEO Women’s Tennis Team (AWTT) concluded their final University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 contest in a 0-5 shutout by the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Tennisters. The match was held earlier today, March 15, at the Colegio San Agustin Tennis Stadium in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles in fifth place with a 0-8 win-loss record on the elimination round standings, mirroring the same winless tally from Season 87.
Blue Eagle Althea Ong began the game day with the first singles match against DLSU’s Angeline Alcala. The AWTT veteran got off to a sluggish start as she dropped the opening set, 2-6. Remaining unfazed, the Atenean mounted a stronger push in the second frame, stringing together a 4-1 run to briefly seize momentum and build a two-game advantage for Ateneo, 4-2.
Alcala, however, responded with a 3-1 counter to even out the games at 5-all. The set headed into a tense finish, with both players battling through extended rallies and tight service games. In the end, Ong failed to contain Alcala in the closing stretch, allowing the opposition to claim the final two games and seal the win in favor of DLSU, 5-7.
In the second singles outing, Atenean Elohgracie Castolo donned the Blue and White against Lady Tennister Annika Diwa. Castolo immediately fell prey to Diwa’s long shots, succumbing to a 0-6 defeat in the first set. With lapses on the service line, the rookie handed off points to the Lady Tennister in the second frame, until Diwa clinched Ateneo’s second team-tie loss via sweep, 0-6.
Slotted in the third singles match, Zaina Omar attempted to gain Ateneo’s first team-tie victory against DLSU’s Maikee Vicencio. Despite a resolute effort from the Blue Eagle, the Lady Tennister dictated the pace of the match from the outset and swept Omar in straight sets, 0-6, 0-6, extending the Taft-based outfit’s lead in the team-tie.
Replicating their victory in the first round, Blue Eagles Althea Martirez and Chelsea Roque challenged Green and White athletes Guysie Guardo and Althea Liwag for the first doubles match of the day. The Martirez-Roque duo displayed dominance in the opening set with controlled shots towards the opposition’s unguarded court, 6-4.
The following frame saw the Loyola Heights-based unit falter before Guardo and Liwag, who surprised the Blue Eagles with a 3-6 set victory off calculated placement hits. With the 10-point tiebreak underway, the Blue Eagles orchestrated a 4-1 run to lead with a two-point cushion, 4-2. In spite of their efforts, the Blue and White fell at the command of the Lady Tennisters’ 8-1 counter strike and lost the set, 10-5.
In the dead rubber match, Ateneo’s Casey Padilla and Angela Buyante faced Lasallians Amor Idjao and Bea Gomez. The Green and White quickly established control, taking the opening set, 6-2. Padilla and Buyante attempted to respond in the second with longer rallies, but Idjao and Gomez maintained their momentum to seal the match in straight sets, 4-6.
As the AWTT wrapped up its campaign without victory, the Blue and White athletes still exemplified notable performances. These included Ong’s team-tie wins against the University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas (UST), Buyante’s solo victory versus DLSU in their first encounter, and Martirez and Roque’s doubles masterclass against UST.
With much potential to be discovered, the Blue Eagles look to assess their current performance in the hopes of entering Season 89 regrouped, revitalized, and reignited.
Results:
First Singles: Angeline Alcala (DLSU) def. Althea Ong (Ateneo) – 6-2, 7-5
Second Singles: Annika Diwa (DLSU) def. Elohgracie Castolo (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-0
Third Singles: Maikee Vicencio (DLSU) def. Zaina Omar (Ateneo) – 6-0, 6-0
First Doubles: Guysie Guardo and Althea Liwag (DLSU) def. Althea Martirez and Chelsea Roque (Ateneo) – 4-6, 6-3, 10-5
Second Doubles: Amor Idjao and Bea Gomez (DLSU) def. Casey Padilla and Angela Buyante (Ateneo) – 6-2, 6-4
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (6-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (6-2)
- UST Female Tennisters (5-3)
- DLSU Lady Tennisters (3-5)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-8)
