THE ATENEO Table Tennis Teams kicked off their respective University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 campaigns with strong performances across the board.

The Ateneo Men’s Table Tennis Team (AMTTT) made quick work of the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, 3-1, but subsequently suffered a sweep at the hands of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Paddlers, 0-3.

On the other hand, the Ateneo Women’s Table Tennis Team (AWTTT) swept the UE Lady Warriors, 3-0, but fell to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Paddlers, 1-3.

Both Men’s and Women’s matches were held earlier today at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City.

Women’s Table Tennis

8:00 AM match vs UE

Determined to build off their finals appearance last year, the AWTTT came out strong, trampling the Lady Warriors in three consecutive matches, 3-0. The sweep began in the first singles match, with Angela Jover confidently dismantling UE’s Danic Galang in three sets, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.

The next singles match told a similar tale, as Audrey Solis completely outmatched Lady Warrior Gem Nonan in four sets, 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, to secure another Ateneo team-tie point. 

Looking to close out the bout, Blue Eagle duo Kath Bulaqueña and Celeen Docto took on Maorielle Nicolas and Nelly Baroro of UE in the first and final doubles match. Unlike the previous matches, the Blue Eagles faced a greater challenge against the UE duo, trading sets in a back-and-forth motion, 11-6, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9.

Nonetheless, the Blue Eagle tandem still maintained their aggression, eventually emerging victorious in the final set at 11-7 to secure the entire bout.

2:00 PM match vs UST

Despite storming through UE earlier this morning, the Women’s Team failed to sustain their winning momentum into the second stretch of rallies in the matches, falling 1-3 against UST. Lone victor Kaela Aguilar defeated Kaye Encarnacion with a commanding 11-5, 3-11, 11-8, 11-4 scoreline. Despite a brief setback in the second set, Aguilar’s pinpoint accuracy on the table clinched Ateneo’s first and only team point in the afternoon.

In the tough individual matchups that followed, Jelaine Monteclaro fell to Althea Gudes, 3-11, 5-11, 9-11. Despite growing more aggressive with each set, Monteclaro was unable to break through Gudes’ composed defense, as the latter expertly countered nearly every attack. Solis suffered a similar fate, falling 4-11, 9-11, 9-11 in a series of hard-fought sets.

In a close contest, the Bulaqueña-Docto doubles team put up a valiant effort against UST’s Kathlyn Gabisay and Leigh Villanueva, missing 4-11, 9-11, and 9-11. Although Ateneo’s efforts nearly forced the Lady Paddlers to the brink of exhaustion, the tandem from España eventually anticipated each one of their plays, resulting in an untimely 1-3 defeat for the Blue Eagles.

Men’s Table Tennis

8:00 AM match vs UE

Opening their first bout of the season, the Blue Eagles quickly dispatched the UE Red Warriors, winning 3-1 in team-tie points to set the tone for their Season 87 campaign.

In the first singles match, seasoned veteran Kong Cabrido went head-to-head against UE’s Matt Aguirre, coming out on top after four closely contested sets, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7.

The next singles match, however, did not go in the favor of the Blue and White, as Anton Gabi failed to secure another team-tie point. The loss came solely from UE’s Kurt Villarico’s strong determination to climb back from a 0-2 set deficit, allowing him to win the five-set thriller, 9-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-9.

Looking to avenge their fallen comrade, Drozle Fresco and Francisco de Asis picked up their paddles and challenged UE’s Miguel Panelo and Laridje Legaspi in the first doubles match of the contest. Despite dropping the first set, 10-12, the Fresco-de Asis duo clapped back with commanding table play, winning three consecutive sets with ease, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5.

In the fourth and final singles match, the Loyola Heights-based brigade sent out Team Captain Andrew Uy to seal the morning bout against Red Warrior Johnster Rosales. In the beginning, Uy looked in form, as he surged to a 2-0 set lead after two impressive wins, 11-9, 12-10.

However, Rosales immediately tied the match, 2-2, after capitalizing on costly out-of-bounds errors from the Blue Eagle. TAtenean skipper quickly responded by unleashing a flurry of devastating topspins to secure the 11-6 set victory and clinch an overall AMTTT win.

2:00 PM match vs DLSU

Despite their stellar outing against UE, the Blue Eagles took a rather unexpected nosedive against DLSU, going down 0-3 after facing the Green Paddlers.

Cabrido ran a slow start, losing 2-11 in the first two sets, but mounted an exceptional comeback in showstopping 11-4, 12-10 wins in the next two cantos. However, the crowd favorite could not contain La Salle’s Troy Docto in the deciding set, conceding a team point to DLSU, 9-11.

In the next singles match, Rod Garcia was eager to stall DLSU’s opening momentum, yet struggled to gain the upper hand over his opponent, losing 9-11, 5-11, 10-12.

The sweep continued into the doubles match, as Wrency Abad and Victor de Asis met the same losing fate against Green Paddlers Andrei Villacruel and Peter Zambrano. Just narrowly slipping against their opponents, 10-12, 7-11, 8-11, the Blue Eagles ultimately handed Taft Avenue its match honors.

With eyes on showcasing an even better performance, the Ateneo Table Tennis Teams will return to play tomorrow, November 20, at 8:00 AM in the same venue.