THE AIR was heavy with defeat as somber expressions replaced the infectious cheerfulness of the Blue and Lady Paddlers. Such an ending to the season was not what the Ateneo teams envisioned for season 74 of the UAAP Table Tennis tournament.
The four-day regular season featuring two rounds of play in two consecutive weekends kicked off last September 24 at the Blue Eagle Gym. The season was pregnant with high hopes for both teams. “We learned a lot from last year and we have returned with better focus and a renewed spirit,” declared the long-time head coach, Floyd Lobaton.
The men’s team entered the season seeking redemption from a bottom-performance last season 73. Team captain Pierre Jacinto led blue Paddlers Ranel Mafe, Mihali Crisostomo, Erwin Gavino, Paolo Ricasio, Lem Almendral, and rookies Lean Kintanar and Karl Uy. Prized rookie, Uy, bested veteran opponents and made a strong case for the Rookie of the Year award as he ended his first round in the UAAP with a 4-2 slate.
The Lady Paddlers returned to the fray with Annie Lee, Kaye Geneta, Dominique Dizon, Jastine Domdom, and the two prized recruits Nikki Publico and Allysa Balanzat. With the leadership of veterans Charmaine de Jesus and team captain, Clarice Manuel, the Lady Paddlers aimed to clinch a final four spot.
Eager to gain high ground early in the season, both teams came out of the dugout ready to defend their home floor and finished the first round with a 2-4 record and a .500 winning percentage.
The Blue Paddlers swept NU and Adamson while losing to powerhouses, DLSU, UST, FEU and UP in close matches. Jacinto, Uy, and doubles team Crisostomo and Mafe held the line for the men’s team.
The Lady Paddlers, on the other hand, were humbled in nail-biting fashion by UP, UST, DLSU and reigning champs, FEU, but defeated NU and Adamson.
The second round, however, featured contrasting campaigns by the men’s and women’s teams. The Blue Paddlers lost successively and clinched a sole win against NU, thus pegging them at 7th place overall with a 3-11 record.
Unfazed by a loss to DLSU, the Lady Paddlers smashed their way to a final four spot with blowout wins against NU and Adamson, even upsetting FEU and UST. Eventually though, UP halted the advancing ladies in blue. The fate of the women’s team was heartbreaking—falling one point short of a final four spot with a 6-6 record. A good result considering that the Lady Paddlers were missing Dizon in the second round due to dengue.
Nevertheless Coach Lobaton remained optimistic, “I am very proud of my players,” said the coach, “they have proved that they are capable of achieving glory despite being labeled as underdogs.”
Both teams have a young core composed of freshmen and sophomore players.
“It is unbelievable, but true.” The road to rebuilding a team is a challenge, especially when Coach Floyd Lobaton only has five months to mold new recruits into ‘class a’ players ready to compete in the UAAP.
