THE ATENEO Lady Eagles made quick work of the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs as they etched a masterful 3-0 sweep in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Badminton Tournament semifinals on Wednesday, October 2, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall in Quezon City. The win punched the Katipunan-based squad their finals ticket.
Team Captain Chanelle Lunod handed Ateneo their first win of the team-tie as she opened things in rhythm, breezing through NU’s Kate Amigable, 2-0. Lunod quickly asserted dominance in the first set after making a statement with a 10-2 run en route to a 21-7 opener. Despite Amigable never letting Lunod pull away in the second set, the Lady Eagle proved to be too much as she ended the set with a tactful drop shot, 21-17.
Rookie Mika De Guzman then continued Ateneo’s dominance after ousting NU Team Captain Jiselle Capillo in two sets. After trailing 9-11 in the first set, De Guzman found her footing and took the set, 21-14, through an impressive 10-1 run. The second set proved to be all De Guzman as she romped her way to a 21-5 drubbing of Capillo.
Co-captains Lunod and Joella De Vera then iced the matchup for Ateneo after gritting out a 2-0 win contra their NU counterparts Gwen Desacola and Jeya Pinlac. Shrugging off an early 9-11 deficit, the Lady Eagles bounced back and took the first set, 21-18, after an error from the Lady Bulldogs. Lunod and De Vera continued their stride, opening the second set with an 11-3 lead. NU tried to crawl back, but the Lady Eagles were just too hot to handle as they ended the match with a 21-16 win, giving Ateneo their third win of the team-tie.
With the win, the Lady Eagles look to draw first blood against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers in the first of their best-of-three Finals series next Friday, October 4, 1:00 PM, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Hall in Quezon City.
Team-tie Score: Ateneo 3 NU 0
Match Scores:
First Singles: Chanelle Lunod (Ateneo) defeated Kate Amigable (NU) 2-0: 21-7, 21-17
Second Singles: Mika De Guzman (Ateneo) defeated Jiselle Capillo (NU) 2-0: 21-14, 21-5.
First Doubles: Chanelle Lunod and Joella De Vera (Ateneo) defeated Gwen Desacola and Jeya Pinlac (NU) 2-0: 21-18 21-16
