UAAP: Green Shuttlers bow to NU, finish second

The DLSU Green Shuttlers finished second in the 77th season of the UAAP, suffering a two-game sweep at the hands of the NU Bulldogs in their finals series.

The Bulldogs seemed to be the Achilles’ Heel of the Taft-based squad as the Green Shuttlers lost all 11 matches against National University this season, including the five-match skid they suffered from NU during the elimination round. The games were held at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Badminton Hall.

Although the Bulldogs won three straight to win the championship in just the third match, the game never lacked intensity as the Green-and-White tried to keep each match close to extend the series.

The opening match featured Green Shuttler Elijanh Boac and NU’s Joper Escueta. The players showed different styles early on, with Boac opting to scatter his shots from all over the court and Escueta choosing to use his powerful smash hits. Escueta came out with more intensity as he scored 11 against Boac’s three, halfway through the first set. Boac then recovered, minimizing unforced errors and placing the shuttlecock better in every play. But Escueta proved to be too much for the Green Shuttler representative, ending the set with a score of 21-11. Boac had a better start in the second set though, opting to tire his opponent out through the placing of his plays. Boac struggled once again as Escueta pulled away to seal the 21-11 second set victory.

In the second match, Kenneth Monterubio suffered a loss from Bulldog Peter Magnaye in two sets, 15-21 and 17-21. Monterubio started the game strong, but he eventually gave up points out of botched smashes as Magnaye led by as much as seven points. Monterubio, however, rallied back, tying the score to 14 apiece. Magnaye then dominated the rest of the set. Monterubio began the second set with the same high-energy plays as he showed his quick reflexes to chase the shuttlecocks in the brink of falling down. Despite this, Magnaye still escaped with the victory in the second set, registering the second victory for the Bulldogs.

National University continued their winning ways to capture the championship as NU’s Escueta-Magnaye duo of finished off the Green Shuttlers in the doubles match. La Salle’s team of Gerald Sibayan and Carlos Cayanan failed to hold off Escueta and Magnaye who were still on a roll coming in from their respective singles matches. NU came out smashing from all over the court while Sibayan and Cayanan opted to place their shots strategically. The DLSU duo struggled the rest of the game with botched drops and powerful smashes by NU, sealing the championship for the Bulldogs. The contest ended with a score of 10-21 and 8-21 in the first and second set respectively.

NU has been a force in the men’s badminton tourney, with four straight finals appearances in the past seasons. The Green Shuttlers, on the other hand, improved from a fifth place finish in season 76 with their runner-up finish this season, the best finish for the Green-and-White since season 72. The Green Shuttlers also won all but one game of the elimination round, only losing against the eventual champions, NU.