After concluding the elimination rounds and fighting for the crown, the Green and Lady Paddlers finished their UAAP season 75 table tennis bids last October 4 at the Blue Eagle Gym in Ateneo de Manila University.
The Green Paddlers came up short against the Growling Tigers, which won the championship gold, sporting a 3-2 win.
The Lady Paddlers, on the other hand, continued the team’s unbeaten streak all the way to the finals as the team dethroned the former champion, Lady Fighting Maroons, in a landslide, 3-0, victory to conclude the team’s successful bid.
Green Paddlers’ near perfect run
DLSU started strong in the first elimination round of the competition, sweeping all contenders, even title holder UST Growling Tigers, earning La Salle the top seat in the early matches of the season. La Salle managed a 7-0 win-loss standing.
Coming into the second round of the eliminations with a perfect record, the Green Paddlers immediately suffered a loss at the hands of the FEU Tamaraws, which won against the Taft-based squad, 3-2.
The Green Paddlers took another blow as the Growling Tigers returned the favor for La Salle’s victory in the first elimination round. UST’s win dropped DLSU to the number two spot via a, 3-1, victory.
So close to the crown
The Green Paddlers managed to win against FEU in the semifinals, but could not retaliate against UST in the final round. The team went head to head with the Growling Tigers where UST’s, 3-2, win permanently placed DLSU in second.
Green Paddlers’ Jethro Yatco suffered an immediate loss against Bazar from UST in their first match in the finals; he bowed in three straight sets.
Walden Ledesma, however, won his match against Ablarque and earned the 1-1 score to match UST. He scored 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 16-14.
In the doubles division, UST’s Pantoja-Bazar duo won against DLSU’s Ted Yu-Earvin de Pedro pair, which gave UST the, 2-1, lead.
Jerald Cristobal soon brought fire back to DLSU as he defeated the Growling Tigers’ Manlapaz in the singles division to make a comeback, 3-2, victory, which effectively left Kenneth Yu in a do-or-die match.
K. Yu, however, failed to dispose of Diaz in their battle, dealing DLSU another loss to lose the championship.
Lady Paddlers’ uncontested climb
Like its male counterpart the Lady Paddlers concluded the first elimination round with a strong finish as the team’s bouts resulted in a 7-0 run as former champions, the Lady Fighting Maroons became one of the team’s victims.
As the second round elimination ensued, the Lady Paddlers extended the team’s streak with no signs of slowing down, wrapping up the eliminations with a 14-0 run. The Taft-based squad secured the top spot with a thrice-to-beat advantage against any team that would go against the Ladies in the finals.
Securing the throne
In the team’s final surge to gold, the Lady Paddlers breezed through the Lady Fighting Maroons with an uncontested bout as DLSU managed dethroned the former champion with with a 3-0 score victory.
Marcelle Galera exerted the final push for DLSU after dispatching Villaflores in the third set to score 11-4, 11-3, 11-9 and the Lady Paddlers its first win.
One of Philippine’s best, Ian Lariba, lived up to her title as she immediately concluded the matchup against Maderal, scoring, 11-7, 11-3, 11-3.
Delivering the final blow, the duo of Jellie Yanela and Michaela Yagin sealed the deal as they rose triumphant in the fifth set in a close match against Catalan and Magpantay to bag the championship and give DLSU a, 3-2, win
As the season ended, expect the Lady Paddlers to perform better than ever as the team now seats at the top of the throne.
