A second encounter against the Lady Tamaraws proved to be as fatal as the first one to the Lady Shuttlers as the Taft-based squad lost an opportunity to advance to the championships, with a 3-1 loss last September 5 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
The loss dropped the Lady Shuttlers to third to conclude the team’s bid for the season 75 UAAP Women’s Badminton Championship crown.
A tragic face-off
Lady Shuttler Danica San Ignacio started the bid against Lady Tamaraw, Kim Mayono, in an effort to draw the first win to the Green-and-White squad.
The first set came out strong for San Ignacio as she established a 4-0 run. Mayono, however, came back to the game after a constant 3-1 exchange, which eventually gave her the leverage of the match and the first set of the game.
A 5-0 run for the Morayta-based squad ended the second set as San Ignacio was unable to return the shots Mayono made. Mayono won the first singles, 17-21, 12-21.
For the second singles, Lady Shuttler Team Captain Angelica Ramos moved to the frontline to square off with Jen Cayetano.
An immediate 5-0 run pits Ramos at a disadvantage in the first set of the match, but the Lady Shuttler managed to bounce back and enter a deadlock with Cayetano. The Lady Tamaraw, however, countered with another 5-0 run, finishing the match with the set going to FEU.
Even after entering a six deadlock game in the second set, Ramos was unable to stop a 6-0 run from Cayetano who eventually grabbed the game, ending in a 16-21, 18-21 win for the Tamaraws.
Geared for a comeback in the first doubles was the pair of Danica Bolos and Angelica Ramos against Lady Tamaraws’ Cait Dionisio and Cla Pascual.
Bolos and Ramos managed a 5-0 run, twice, in the first set, which eventually led the Taft-based squad to gain its first set of the game.
The momentum for the Green-and-White squad was stronger after a 6-0 and 5-0 run against the Lady Tamaraws ended the first doubles bout with a 21-17, 21-12 win in favor of the Lady Shuttlers.
On the verge of losing the chance to advance to the finals, Aires Montilla and Flo Lamigo stepped up to face Cayetano and Mayono who came back for the second doubles.
The two teams started slow in the first set. Costly errors from the Lady Shuttlers, however, gave Cayetano and Mayono an opportunity to strike hard to end the set in favor of the Tamaraws.
With the threat of an ending season bid, Montilla and Lamigo tried to fend off the pair of Cayetano and Mayono with a 5-0 run to enter a deadlock with the Morayta-based squad, but the Lady Shuttlers’ effort were neutralized after the Lady Tamaraws gained the upper hand with a 4-0 run to finish the second doubles and, conclude the Taft-based squad’s championship run, 16-21, 18-21.
