UAAP: Lady Woodpushers bounce back to move up to 3rd; Green Woodpushers remain at 4th

Eager to claim an unprecedented 5th UAAP Chess title, the DLSU Lady Woodpushers bounced back from an opening day loss to FEU by claiming two straight victories to ascend to third place. The DLSU Green Woodpushers on the other hand, managed to nab a win, draw, and loss to remain at fourth after the first two weeks of competition.

Fresh off a championship victory from the 2014 Unigames, the Lady Woodpushers entered the competition as the heavy favorites with reigning MVP Jodi Fronda playing her final year for the squad. With third place finishes in both UAAP Season 76 and the 2014 Unigames, the Green Woodpushers were looking to build on their consistent podium finish and end a 10-year title drought in the UAAP.

In the first day of competition, both the Green Woodpushers and Lady Woodpushers were pitted against FEU, who head coach Randy Segarra pegged as a contender for this season. The Green Woodpushers managed to beat their opponents by a point, 2.5-1.5, to begin their season on a positive note. The defending champions on the other hand, lost their first match by one, 2.5-1.5.

Sunday marked the second day of competition and the Lady Woodpushers bounced back from a tough setback by crushing NU, 3.5-0.5. The Green Woodpushers on the other hand, could not get past archrival Ateneo and ended up with a 2-2 draw.

The third day of competition however, proved to be a tough one for the Green Woodpushers as they fell to Adamson, 2.5-1.5. The Lady Woodpushers built on their success over the weekend as they beat UST by one, 2.5-1.5 to clinch their second straight victory.

In the Women’s Division, FEU remains ahead with 8.5 points while NU isn’t far behind with 8 points. DLSU stands at third with 7.5 points while UST, Adamson, UP, ADMU, and UE currently have 6, 5.5, 5, 4.5, and 3 points respectively.

NU begins the season on top with 10 points while Adamson and UST have 8.5 and 7.5 points respectively. DLSU is fourth with 6 points, ahead of FEU and UP, who are tied with 4.5 points apiece, and ADMU and UE who have 5 and 2 points respectively.

The Lady Woodpushers will look to extend their winning streak to three as they take on Adamson while the Green Woodpushers will look to bounce back against UE this Sunday, January 25, at 1pm in the 4th floor of the Henry Sy Sr. Hall.