UAAP: Green Shuttlers advance to finals, Lady Shuttlers fall to Lady Eagles

The DLSU Green Shuttlers advanced to the finals of the UAAP Season 78 Badminton tournament after their triumph over their archrivals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, in three straight matches last Saturday, October 10. Meanwhile, the DLSU Lady Shuttlers fell to the Ateneo Lady Eagles, who overcame La Salle’s twice-to-beat advantage last October 10 and 11 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Green Shuttlers’ supremacy

The Green Shuttlers started strong as Anton Cayanan defeated Ateneo’s Carlo Remo, two games to one. Cayanan gave up only the first game, suffering a 24-22 loss, but then bounced back with a 21-11 win in the second game and a 21-19 victory in the third and final game. In the second singles match, Kenneth Monterubio of DLSU showcased sizzling smashes as he demolished Clarence Filart in two straight games, 21-17, 24-22.

The Green Shuttlers continued to build a head of steam, as the duo of Gerald Sibayan and Cayanan vanquished Ateneo’s Bernardo-Remo in two straight games. The Green Shuttlers put up a 13-10 lead in the middle part of the first game. Cayanan and Sibayan then extended their lead to a more comfortable 16-11 margin before cruising to a 21-16 win in the first game.

The second game wasn’t a different story for the Green Shuttlers, as they once again established a 13-10 lead, which was followed by a 6-3 run. With momentum on their side, La Salle bagged the 21-16 victory in the second set to book a seat in the finals against NU.

Season-ending collapse

Despite holding the twice-to-beat advantage, the Lady Shuttlers lost to their nemesis, the Ateneo Lady Eagles, in the stepladder semifinals of the Women’s division. The Katipunan-based squad showcased their dominance in the opening game of the semifinals as Bianca Carlos of ADMU defeated Lady Shuttler Arianne Rivera in two straight games, 21-15, 21-13.

DLSU avenged their first match defeat, as Anghela Sevilla took down Cassandra Lim in a three-game thriller. Sevilla fell to Lim in the first game, 21-19, but then came back to win the last two games with identical 21-13 scores.

With the series tied at one, the Lady Shuttlers then tried to take the lead as the duo of Alyssa Leonardo and Kristelle Salatan faced ADMU’s Geva De Vera and Janel Dihiansan. The Taft-based squad, however, fell to the Lady Eagles, 22-20, 21-18.

Looking to earn the win for Ateneo, the duo of Carlos and Lim faced La Salle’s Nicole Albo and Aires Montilla. Ateneo defeated La Salle in two straight games, which gave the Lady Eagles the victory, 3-1, and erased the advantage the Lady Shuttlers had earlier held.

The Lady Shuttlers looked to start strong on the second day of the stepladder semifinals, as Rivera boosted the Lady Shuttlers’ confidence by conquering Cassandra Lim of Ateneo in two straight games, 21-18, 21-11, giving La Salle an early 1-0 lead. Avenging the defeat in the first match, Carlos then triumphed over Sevilla two games to none, tying the series at one-all.

The Lady Eagles continued their winning ways as De Vera and Dihiansan overpowered DLSU’s Montilla and Salatan, two games to one. Looking to wrap things up, Ateneo’s tandem of Carlos-Lim then defeated DLSU’s Albo and Leonardo, 2-1. The Lady Shuttlers managed to get the first game, 21-13, but the Katipunan-based squad garnered the momentum to get the last two games, 24-22 and 21-19, thus sealing the match and completing the upset over La Salle.

With the win in the semifinals, the DLSU Green Shuttlers will face the NU Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 78 Men’s Badminton finals that will begin on Wednesday, October 14, still at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. The Lady Shuttlers, on the other hand, end the tournament in third place, an improvement from last season’s fourth-place finish.

— Miguel Enrico Robles