ON THEIR first assignment in their bid for a historic five-peat, the Ateneo Blue Eagles turned in a 4-1 outing against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons. The game took place earlier this afternoon at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.

This win puts the Blue Eagles at a 1-0 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 Women’s Badminton tournament.

Ateneo’s Althea Ocampo got her squad’s title defense off its heels, garnering a 2-0 win over Adamson’s Aleyha Villanueva. In an excellent display, the Blue Eagle rookie showed off her offensive prowess to maintain a comfortable cushion and not allow Villanueva to close the gap. Ocampo managed to score the first team-tie score for Ateneo with consecutive wins of 21-11 and 21-13.

The second singles match saw Team Captain Mika De Guzman make quick work of Adamson’s Marriane Barcelona. Toward the backend of the first set, De Guzman turned in an offensive performance with prolific smashes to gain the victory, 21-9. The Blue Eagle carried much of that same energy into the second set, shutting down the Lady Falcon, 21-4, to put the Blue Eagles ahead 2-0 in the team-tie score.

Subsequently, the Blue Eagle duo of Althea Fuentespina and Missy Cervantes opened the first doubles match against Lady Falcons Camille Buagas and Graziel Cabriga. The Ermita-based pair took control early on and ran away with the set, 21-14. Fueled by the team’s first set loss, the Atenean duo maintained their composure and came back to even the match score, 1-1, with a 21-17 win. In the deciding third set, however, Adamson’s sharpness proved to be too much for Ateneo as they grabbed a 21-16 victory to ultimately win the match, 2-1.

Following this, De Guzman returned to the court to team up with Feeby Ferrer. The duo went on to face Adamson’s Jennifer Ondol and Justine Barasona in Ateneo’s second doubles match. The captain continued her excellence from her opener, with Ferrer aiding her on to take the set, 21-17. The second set was marked by a series of runs, as the Blue Eagles got off two sequences of consecutive nine-point rallies, getting a decisive team-tie lead at 3-1, with a 21-9 set win.

The final match of the day featured Ateneo’s Angel Valle scoring a 2-0 victory against Adamson’s Key Fuerte. Neither competitor could gain much distance in the first set, with both players exchanging points one after another. It would be at the 15-15 mark when Valle took charge with six consecutive unanswered rallies to close the set, 21-15. The second set saw the Atenean sophomore pushed to her limits, as Fuerte stormed in a timely comeback to tie the set at 20-all. However, two crucial rallies from Valle were all that Ateneo needed to cap off the day and secure the set, 22-20, and finish off the Lady Falcons, 4-1.

The Blue Eagles will look to build on their momentum as they take on the De La Salle Lady Shuttlers tomorrow, October 13, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.

Team-tie Score:

Ateneo-AdU: 4-1

Results:

First Singles: Ocampo (Ateneo) def. Villanueva (AdU), 21-11, 21-13

Second Singles: De Guzman (Ateneo) def. Barcelona (AdU), 21-9, 21-4

First Doubles: Buagas & Cabriga (AdU) def. Fuentespina & Cervantes (Ateneo), 21-14, 17-21, 21-16

Second Doubles: De Guzman & Ferrer (Ateneo) def. Ondol & Barasona (AdU), 21-17, 21-9

Third Singles: Valle (Ateneo) def. Fuerte (AdU), 21-15, 22-20

Current Standings (W-L):

1. ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-0)
2. UP Fighting Maroons (1-0)
3. NU Lady Bulldogs (0-0)
4. UST Lady Shuttlers (0-0)
5. AdU Lady Falcons (0-1)
6. DLSU Lady Shuttlers (0-1)