THE ATENEO Women’s Badminton Team (AWBT) floundered against the top-seeded University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 1-4, ending their final weekend of round-robin play with two straight losses.
Ateneo’s elimination round finale took place earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.
With the loss, the Blue Eagles will enter the Final Four in third place with a serviceable 3-2 win-loss record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 Women’s Badminton tournament. This match also marked the AWBT’s second straight appearance without Team Captain Mika De Guzman.
The Blue Eagles quickly dropped the first singles match against the Fighting Maroons, with Julienne Pajarillo being decisively trounced by UP’s Susmita Ramos in two consecutive sets.
In the opening canto, Pajarillo experienced a devastating 5-21 blow after Ramos swamped the rookie with her offensive barrage. The second set was equally unforgiving for the Blue Eagle, as the Fighting Maroon asserted her dominance, ultimately sealing the match with a smash, 5-21.
Ateneo’s woes carried on to the second singles match in Angel Valle’s bout against UP’s Anthea Gonzales, with the veteran losing, 0-2, after failing to apply immense pressure on her opponent.
The Fighting Maroons’ court mastery was exemplified in the first set, with Valle struggling to get even a slight edge, 8-21. In the subsequent frame, Valle committed numerous errors due to Gonzales’ commanding control of the net, resulting in an identically overwhelming 8-21 defeat.
In the third match, Ateneo’s Missy Cervantes and Althea Ocampo encountered an insurmountable force in the form of UP’s Dianne Libaton & Ramos, who officially secured the Fighting Maroons’ Sunday victory.
Despite forcing a 10-10 deadlock, the Blue Eagle pair failed to withstand the Fighting Maroons’ crushing clears, resulting in a hard-fought 15-21 defeat in the first set.
Recovering from the setback, Ateneo repeatedly countered UP’s relentless aggression with smashes on their own, creating yet another tie at 20-20. However, the Blue and White could not contain Ramos’ game-winning service stroke near the rear court, ending the bout at 20-22.
The second doubles match pitted Pajarillo and Althea Fuentespina against Kimberly Lao and Gonzales. Following a similar formula to the previous match, the Blue Eagles suffered a 15-21 defeat in the first frame in spite of an initial 7-7 tie. Midway through the second set, Ateneo held a 13-10 advantage; however, UP gradually crawled back and eventually clinched the match with a net kill, 21-19.
In an inconsequential third and final singles match, Maxene Olango swept Mica Ibong to deny the Fighting Maroons a Sunday sweep.
Olango mollified Ibong with her impressive lifts, culminating in a 21-17 triumph that served as Ateneo’s first-set victory for the day. The Blue Eagle maintained her tempo in the final frame, eventually smashing her way toward an outstanding 21-12 victory.
Looking to regain their powerhouse form, the AWBT will return to the court in the Final Four to face their semifinal opponents, the National University Lady Bulldogs, on Tuesday, 1:00 PM at the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-UP: 1-4
Results:
First Singles: Ramos (UP) def. Pajarillo (Ateneo), 21-5, 21-5
Second Singles: Gonzales (UP) def. Valle (Ateneo), 21-8, 21-8
First Doubles: Libaton & Ramos (UP) def. Cervantes & Ocampo (Ateneo), 21-15, 22-20
Second Doubles: Lao & Gonzales (UP) def. Pajarillo & Fuentespina (Ateneo), 21-15, 21-19
Third Singles: Olango (Ateneo) def. Ibong (UP), 21-12, 21-17
Current Standings (W-L):
- UP Fighting Maroons (5-0)
- NU Bulldogs (4-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-2)
- UST Tiger Shuttlers (2-3)
- DLSU Green Shuttlers (1-4)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (0-4)
