LEAVING IT all on the floor, the Ateneo Blue Eagles outlasted the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Lady Shuttlers, 3-0, booking their ticket into the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Women’s Badminton Finals. The Final Four match took place earlier today, October 21, at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.
This crucial win sends the Blue Eagles to their sixth straight finals, putting the squad three sets away from their fifth championship in the last six seasons. The Blue and White will be tasked with gaining their lost championship against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, who will make their first Finals appearance in UAAP Women’s Badminton history.
Starting off the Women’s Tournament, Mika De Guzman relentlessly mounted a 10-0 run against UST’s Hanie De Jesus through swift forehand placements. Due to the Lady Shuttler’s errors, Ateneo’s Team Captain effortlessly built up a 16-3 cushion. De Guzman then went all the way, smashing towards a 21-4 opening frame.
With De Jesus’ shots going long, the Blue Eagle managed to attain a four-point margin during the second set, 7-3. De Guzman’s command did not stop there, as she kept on forcing errors to establish a 16-8 buffer. Eventually, the Atenean standout’s well-placed hits secured the first singles match at 21-9.
The second singles match saw the Blue Eagles’ sophomore Althea Ocampo taking on Lady Shuttlers’ Christine Dorega. The first set saw the Ateneo shuttler’s offense overwhelm UST, gunning Ateneo towards a 4-0 start. Heading to the interval, Ocampo managed to continuously lead her adversary to make mistakes, 13-2. From then on, both teams exchanged rallies with impressive shots and minor errors, with Ocampo keeping her lead, 18-8. Sensing her win nearing, the Blue Eagle finished off the set with three consecutive power shots, gaining her the victory, 21-8.
At the onset of the second match, Ocampo shared her rallying struggles with Dorega, as the score settled to 3-all. Set on gaining ground, Ocampo conducted an 8-1 sprint through shifty footwork, heading into the interval, 11-4. Out of the short break, the Blue Eagle shuttler’s focus stayed sharp by knocking off another period of dominant offense, 19-6. Sensing her opponent’s urgency, Ocampo kept calm and forced the Thomasian into consecutive errors, giving Ateneo their second team-tie point, 21-7.
Eager to end the match in a sweep, Co-captains De Guzman and Jochelle Alvarez went toe-to-toe against UST’s Jen Salgada and Rhafi Santos. Early in the set, the Atenean pair made use of their quick reflexes to tire out the Lady Shuttlers, 7-2. As the España-based duo became conflicted with faults, De Guzman took the opportunity to deliver a deceptive serve, 16-7. By the closing stretch, the first frame wrapped up as UST’s shuttle went to the net, 21-10.
With rallies kickstarting the second set, the De Guzman-Alvarez duo demonstrated sharp anticipation, testing UST’s endurance at 7-5. Midway through the frame, the Blue Eagles maintained a spirited front which the Lady Shuttlers struggled to contain, causing them a miss at 15-11. While UST failed to escape from the slumps, the Atenean pair continued to capitalize on their errors, leading to a 21-11 turnout and sending their squad back to the finals.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles will face the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Badminton Finals tomorrow, October 22, at 1:00 PM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-UST: 3-0
Results:
First Singles: De Guzman (Ateneo) def. De Jesus (UST), 21-4, 21-9
Second Singles: Ocampo (Ateneo) def. Dorega (UST), 21-8, 21-7
First Doubles: De Guzman & Alvarez (Ateneo) def. Saladaga & Santos (UST), 21-10, 21-11
