THE ATENEO Blue and Lady Eagles kicked-off the 79th season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Chess tournament against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers and De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, respectively on February 4, Saturday, at De La Salle University, Manila.
Though both of the Katipunan-based teams fell to their opponents on their first day, individual performances from a number of Blue and Lady Eagles have left both teams hopeful for the coming matches.
Blue Eagles fall to UST Growling Tigers
Team captain Ricki Yao along with Renzo Marquez, Jolo Lat, and rookie Lance Ting, represented the Blue Eagles against UST, with Yao taking the board one assignment, followed by Marquez, Ting, and then Lat. The Blue Eagles came out with a 1-3 record in the team-tie, with Marquez managing to outwit UST’s Flores.
While defeat to last season’s 1st runner-ups was disappointing, Yao was keen on emphasizing that the matches were beneficial becauset they contributed to the experience of the players. “It’s a lot of pressure, it’s the first game, the first day, but it’s definitely good for everyone.” Yao also singled out Renzo Marquez for his superb performance against UST’s star man.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles at 0-1 win-loss record in the University of Athletics Association (UAAP) season.
Lady Eagles falter as rivals DLSU come out on top
The Lady Eagles line-up consisted of Aryanne De Ocampo, Bren Membrere, Ana De Duque, and Jasmine Principe. De Ocampo took board one and Membrere, De Duque, and Principe were assigned to the following boards. The Lady Eagles, similarly, took one out of a possible three points in the team-tie, managing two draws via Team Captain Bren Membrere and Ana De Duque.
Despite the result, Membrere applauded the first day performance of her teammates, especially ecstatic about De Duque managing a tie against her DLSU counterpart. “I was surprised actually because I saw that a lot of my teammates really improved, and that we managed to take points [in the team-tie].”
Similarly, this loss puts the Lady Eagles at 0-1 win-loss record in the University of Athletics Association (UAAP) season.
The Blue Eagles will face De La Salle University while the Lady Eagles will square-off against University of Santo Tomas, both on Sunday, February 5, 1PM at De La Salle University in Manila.
