After a show of mastery by Mika De Guzman and Jochelle Alvarez, the Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team notched their second straight as they braved through the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Female Shuttlers, 3-2. The match was held earlier today at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City.
This victory puts the Blue Eagles at a 2-0 record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Women’s Badminton Tournament.
The Blue Eagles got off to a slow start today as in the first singles match, rookie Angel Valle failed to secure an opening win against UST’s Patricia de Leon, 0-2. Despite building an early lead in the first set, Valle ultimately fell short as de Leon’s quicker tactics caught up to draw first blood, 16-21. The second set also did not end in the Blue and White’s favor as multiple errors from Valle resulted in her surrendering the heated match, 20-22.
In the second singles contest, Team Captain De Guzman made easy work of Tiger Shuttler Lizzy Belen, 2-0. The reigning Most Valuable Player began the match with a four-point lead, 5-1. From there, De Guzman remained impenetrable as she engineered tremendous domination with controlled drives, completing the first in swift fashion, 21-3. Despite a more heated display of shuttlewise leads in the next set, the Blue Eagle skipper used her seasoned maneuvers to ultimately drive Belen into a losing error, 21-17.
Not resting on her laurels, De Guzman returned and paired with veteran Alvarez to square off against UST’s Jennifer Saladaga and Rhafi Santos in the first doubles match. Despite the 6-6 deadlock early in the bout, the Blue and White held off any comeback attempts from the España-based duo, ending the first set at 21-17. Thanks to their complimentary gambits, De Guzman and Alvarez’s chemistry won vigorous rallies in the following set to ultimately give Ateneo the win, 21-18.
The second doubles bout saw Missy Cervantes and rookie Maxene Olango succumbing to UST’s Maye Alvarez and De Leon, 0-2. Despite starting with a four-point lead, the Katipunan-based tandem was met by renewed vigor from the Tiger Shuttlers, who eventually cut down the deficit and claimed the first set, 21-16. Endless momentum shifts were observed in the second canto but were quelled by the Thomasian duo as they denied the Blue Eagles the match win, 17-21.
With the match’s result still hanging in the balance, Alvarez cruised past Clara Sofia Ignacio in the third singles match, 2-0. The reinvigorated veteran relentlessly extended her first set lead with well-timed drop balls and smashes, eventually winning 21-15. An even more masterful display of dominance emerged in the succeeding set, where a series of faults from Ignacio allowed powerhouse Alvarez a stellar 14-point difference, 21-7.
The Blue Eagles will hope to extend their winning streak as they go head-to-head against their archrivals De La Salle University Lady Shuttlers next on Saturday, 1:00 PM, at the same venue.
