IN COMMANDING fashion, both Ateneo Table Tennis Teams kicked off their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 campaigns triumphantly. The full slate of matches was held yesterday at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.
The Men’s Team secured a trifecta of winning efforts by sweeping the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraw Paddlers and De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Paddlers, 3-0, while also overwhelming the University of the East Red Warriors, 3-1. On the other hand, the Women’s Team conquered the UE Red Warriors and the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 3-0, but succumbed to the DLSU Lady Paddlers, 1-3.
Men’s Table Tennis
8:00 AM match vs FEU
Kicking things off for the Blue and White was veteran Kong Cabrido, who faced FEU’s Cubio. Cabrido started the match on the backfoot, dropping the first game, 5-11. However, the Atenean recalibrated and breezed through the next three games to secure the opening point for the Blue Eagles.
In the second set, rookie sensation Rod Andree Garcia stepped up to face FEU’s Piala. Garcia came out the gates with guns blazing as he managed to claim the first two games. However, Piala would not back down that easily as he clawed his way back to force a deciding game. With the game’s result still hanging in the balance, the rookie Garcia rose to the occasion, capturing the 11-7 victory.
Completing the sweep was France De Asis and Wrency Abad, who notched Ateneo’s first doubles win of the season after defeating FEU’s Lara and Sacay.
1:30 PM match vs DLSU
Riding high from his debut match win, Garcia drew first blood for Ateneo, securing a point in a closely contested set against DLSU’s Yamson ending with a 3-0 finish.
Following suit was Cabrido, who continued his winning ways by overcoming a game challenge from Docto. Cabrido then performed a dominant sweep with the closest score taking place at set one, 11-9.
Closing out the match for the Blue Eagles were veterans Abad and De Asis. The duo showcased their great chemistry once again, outplaying Crisostomo and Eder to notch Ateneo’s second win of the day. The results of the game were 11-3, 11-6, and 12-10 in favor of the Blue Eagles duo.
4:00 PM match vs UE
Concluding an excellent day for Ateneo, the Men’s team shut down UE, 3-1.
Garcia continued his day-one heroics for the Blue Eagles as he swept Presbitero. Despite being down 6-7 in the third set, the freshman showed his mettle and quickly erased the deficit courtesy of a quick five-point streak.
Carrying forward his teammates’ stellar showing, Drozle Fresco also performed a sweep in his first outing this season, dominating Muriel in the second match.
With a chance to end the contest in match three, the pair of De Asis and Anton Gabi got off to a slow start, dropping the first two sets, 9-11, 6-11. However, the pairing was quick to recover as the next two rounds would go in favor of the Blue Eagles. Despite their valiant efforts, the Red Warriors were able to nick the tiebreaker and send the match into a fourth contest, 11-9.
Leaving no stone unturned, Cabrido looked to close out the day as he faced UE’s Perez. Consequently, the Atenean paddler swiftly ended the match in three rounds, putting Ateneo on top of UE, 3-1.
Women’s Table Tennis
8:00 AM match vs UE
Kicking things off for the Women’s squad, rookie Jelaine Monteclaro faced off against UE’s Baltar. Monteclaro would go on to claim a 3-1 victory after an intense final game, 14-12.
Inspired by her teammate’s resolve, Anna Fabregar made quick work of UE’s Galang in the next match, 3-0.
Finishing off the match in decisive fashion, duo Celeen Docto and Khaela Aguilar prevailed over UE’s Perez and Saldua in a back-and-forth affair that ended in an Ateneo win, 3-0.
10:30 match vs DLSU
Ateneo opened the second match on a high, after a 3-1 victory by Co-Captain Kathleene Bulaqueña over DLSU’s Redoquerio. However, this would be the Blue Eagles’ only win of the match, as they would get swept in the next three games, 1-3.
4:00 PM match vs UP
The Blue Eagles would continue to struggle in the first set of their matchup against UP. Co-Captain Ann Borbon would fall short against UP’s Salvador, 11-5. Borbon bounced back in set 2, while Salvador countered by taking set 3. Looking to shift the tide in her favor, Borbon persevered by making winning plays including a set point that gave Ateneo their first game point of the match. Meanwhile, sets four and five ended in identical 11-9 results.
In their succeeding games, a comeback victory would fuel the rest of the Blue Eagles. Jelaine Montecarlo started with a commanding 5-0 lead against UP’s Lozada. However, Lozada tied the game at 6-6. This would spark a back-and-forth battle between the two. In the end, Montecarlo was able to weather multiple runs by Lozada and come out victorious, 3-1.
In their final game of the day, the pair of Elira Docto and Kaela Aguilar finished the match in convincing fashion by sweeping UP’s double pair of Tapia and Rusiana, 3-0.
Looking to keep their winning ways, both Ateneo Table Tennis teams will return to the same venue today at 8:00 AM with the Men’s Team facing the University of Santo Tomas (UST), Adamson University (AdU), and UP while the Women’s team will face AdU, UST, and FEU.
