The Ateneo Men’s Table Tennis Team officially concludes their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 campaign in second place following a hard-fought battle against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Paddlers, 2-3, 2-3. The highly contested championship series was held earlier today, November 21, at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City.

8:00 AM – Game 1

Opening their championship bout, the Blue Eagles enlisted the services of standout rookie Emmanuel Yamson, who took on Tiger Paddler Ray Joshua Manlapaz. At the onset of the first frame, Yamson battled his opponent from end to end, keeping the score close. However, towards the latter stages of the set, the Atenean lost steam, surrendering in a tough loss, 11-13.

The following sets would spell trouble for Yamson, as his offensive rhythm was bothered by UST’s stifling quickness. Before long, the Blue Eagle dropped consecutive sets in a momentous defeat, 6-11, 9-11.

Next, Team Co-Captain Kong Cabrido stepped on the court, winning a crucial game against UST’s Eljey Tormis in four sets. The beginning of the first set found the Blue Eagle ace showcasing his offensive prowess with suffocating runs that troubled the Tiger Paddler, 11-5. Despite a dominant first set showing, Cabrido’s pace would fall behind his adversary, as he dropped the following set, 5-11.

With the set score tied, the co-captain rose to the occasion. Cabrido’s clutch decision-making came out in full force in consecutive battles, closing out his bouts with pivotal stretches, 11-7, 11-8.

In the third set, Ateneo fielded the duo of Wrency Abad and Zherdel Fresco to go against UST’s Ruiz Marcelino and Al Sanchez. Starting slow, the Blue Eagles fell apart in the closing possessions of the first set, 8-11. However, the Katipunan-based pair remained undeterred, capping off three consecutive sets with dominant offensive potency as they blasted their UST opponents, 11-7, 11-7, 11-5.

Determined to end the match for the Blue Eagles, Andree Garcia stepped up to face off against Tiger Paddler Gerald Aguilar. Early into the match, Garcia struggled to match UST’s pace, following in back-to-back contests, 5-11, 10-12.

The Blue Eagle then displayed grit and resilience by overcoming Aguilar through momentous runs, earning the third set victory, 11-5. In the following set, Garcia failed to repeat his offensive potency, eventually falling to the Tiger Paddler in four sets, 7-11.

Hoping to give Ateneo the overall game victory, Team Captain Andrew Uy took on UST’s Abraham Antivo. Ateneo’s ace struggled to match UST’s pace in the first two sets, lagging behind his adversary in vital rallies, 5-11, 6-11. Uy turned his fortunes around for the opening possessions of the third frame, matching Antivo point-for-point. However, the captain failed to capitalize in the closing moments, surrendering Ateneo in the overall game, 10-12.

10:30 AM – Game 2

Eager to give the Blue and White a head start in the second game, Fresco flew solo as he took on Tormis in the first singles. In a set consisting of long and intense rallies, the Atenean ultimately came up short in a nail-biting first frame, 9-11. Failing to gain traction, the Blue Eagle once again fell to the Tiger Paddler in an error-riddled frame, 7-11.

In order to avoid a sweep, Fresco dug deep in his bag of tricks. However, the Atenean ultimately conceded to the opposition in three straight sets, 9-11, 7-11, 8-11.

Eager to avenge his fallen comrade, Cabrido was next in line as he stepped up in match two against Manlapaz. The Ateneo veteran came out swinging and fired ferocious attacks to take the first set, 11-8. With momentum on his side, the Blue Eagle capitalized on the Tiger Paddler’s faults, allowing Cabrido to claim the second frame, 11-7.

As tensions rose, the Atenean exuded grace under pressure in the following two extended sets. Despite dropping the third frame, 10-12, Cabrido returned the favor to take the second set of the contest in four close sets, 11-8, 11-7, 10-12, 12-10.

As both teams faced a team-tie stalemate, doubles action would commence with seniors Docto and Yamson needing to break the team tie against Garcia and Marcelino. Having been a frequent pairing in doubles play, the Katipuan-based squad displayed unmatched chemistry as they proceeded to sweep the third match, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.

Now with a 2-1 match advantage, Ateneo called upon stalwart Abad to seal the deal against Antivo. Trading set victories, both gladiators were tied with a set score of 2-2 heading into a decisive final frame. Leaving it all on the floor, the veteran was unable to pull through in five sets, 7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, sending the contest to another deciding match.

Eager to extend to a third game, Blue Eagle Garcia was assigned to square off against Tiger Paddler Aguilar. The Atenean set the initial pace and bested his rival after an 11-6 victory in the first set. However, Garcia was left searching for answers as Aguilar’s statement smashes led to a commanding second set win, 6-11.

Looking to return the favor, Garcia attempted varying shots to throw off his foe, but struggles persisted as Aguilar continued building momentum, resulting in the Blue Eagle being usurped in the next two sets. Following the Tiger Paddler’s 3-1 set victory, Ateneo’s championship aspirations came to a close with a silver medal to their name.

Notching another runner-up finish for the Blue and White, Ateneo has maintained its strong standing in the UAAP dominion, garnering their fourth silver medal in a row. While it was not the result that the team hoped for this season, the Katipunan-based squad now aspires to break through next season.