With an impressive display of skill and precision, the Ateneo Women’s Badminton Team (AWBT) attained a 4-1 win against fellow final four team National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs. The match was held earlier today at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City.
Today’s victory secured a solo lead for the Blue Eagles in the standings, improving to a 4-0 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Women’s Badminton Tournament.
Team Captain Mika De Guzman’s opening sweep over NU’s Ysabel Amora in the first singles match got Ateneo’s winning momentum underway. The Atenean skipper got off to a slow start in the opening set as a series of errors on De Guzman’s end allowed Amora to build a seven point lead, 12-5. Nevertheless, the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) showed her mettle as she came back to claim the set, 22-20. While the second set likewise displayed a back-and-forth contest, De Guzman’s renewed assertion eventually granted a stellar 10-point margin, 21-11.
Following suit for the Blue and White was Angel Valle, who fell short to NU’s Karyll Rio in the second singles bout, 0-2. Despite a promising start, repeated errors by the Atenean rookie marred the heated encounter, allowing her Sampaloc-based adversary to steal the first set, 21-19. The second match witnessed Rio deny Valle any edge, even going the distance at 20 points apiece. However, a faulty hit and a missed drop shot by the Blue Eagle ultimately surrendered the second set, 20-22.
Looking to get back on track, the formidable duo of De Guzman and Jochelle Alvarez made quick work of NU’s Lee Anne Jade De Leon and Sarah Barredo in the first doubles match, 2-0. Well-orchestrated hits from the seasoned pairing left their opponents no room to seize control in both sets. With unwavering mastery, De Guzman and Alvarez closed out the first match with a commanding score of 21-15. This was followed by an even more dominant performance in the second scuffle, 21-12.
In the last doubles match, Valle and Missy Cervantes ousted Jeya Von Pinlac and Alysa Gwyneth Desacola, 2-0. The Katipunan-based pairing swept past their opponents thanks to an unyielding defensive engine, pulling off a 21-17 win in the first set. In the second canto, neither team had a comfortable lead as they traded powerful drives and smashes to tie 20-20. In the end, more stumbles on the opposing team’s end allowed Valle and Cervantes to steer clear, 24-22.
Closing off Ateneo’s masterful display, Alvarez made her triumphant return to the court as she faced off against Lady Bulldog Sarrah Joy Barredo in the third singles match. After an early 4-1 lead in favor of Barredo, the Atenean stalwart no longer allowed her opponent to have the upper hand and eventually secured the first set, 21-15. Although the following set was an even tighter affair, the steady racket of Alvarez once again merged poise and power through well-timed drop shots to finish the game, 21-18.
The Blue Eagles look to cement their place atop of the standings as they face the University of the Philippines Women’s Badminton Team on November 8,1:00 PM in the same venue.
Current Standings (W-L)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (3-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-1)
- UST Female Shuttlers (1-3)
- DLSU Lady Shuttlers(1-3)
- ADU Lady Falcons (0-4)
