UAAP: Green, Lady Shuttlers succumb to UP

On the second day of the UAAP Season 79 Badminton Tournament, the DLSU Green and Lady Shuttlers suffered their first defeat in their matches against the UP Fighting and Lady Maroons yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. With the result, they now have a 1-1 win-loss standing.

Falling short

Green Shuttler Anton Cayanan went first as he went against UP’s Joseph Lopez. Cayanan won the first set, 21-17. However, Lopez bounced back in the second set, taking it with a score of 21-18 to force a third set. The final set went to Cayanan at 21-19, giving La Salle its first point.

The second singles match saw DLSU’s Kenneth Monterubio and UP’s John Matthew Bernardo battle in three sets. Bernardo grabbed the first set at 22-20, giving him the advantage. Not one to back down, Monterubio fought back and succeeded in taking the set, 21-17. It was Bernardo, however, who emerged the victor of the match after ending the third and final set with a score of 21-16. With the win, the teams were tied at 1-1.

The Fighting Maroons proved themselves dominant in the doubles matches. Vincent Manuel and Joaquin Deato of UP took the match from Green Shuttlers Anton Cayanan and Cayel Pajarillo in straight sets, 21-14, 21-17. Kenneth and Prince Monterubio represented La Salle in the second doubles match to go against UP’s Roberto Pineda and Joshua Malelang tandem in a full-set match, 19-21, 21-14, 21-19, which ended in favor of UP.

In the last singles match, Fighting Maroon Christian Clemente beat La Salle’s Jerickson Obaob, 21-19, 21-15, to give the Fighting Maroons the overall score of 4-1 in their matchup.

Lady Shuttlers collapse to UP

The DLSU Lady Shuttlers also suffered their first loss of the season as they succumbed to the University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons in the second day of the tournament. The Fighting Maroons were able to capture four games, giving the Lady Shuttlers only one game.

The Diliman-based squad immediately showcased its dominance as UP’s Gelita Castilo conquered DLSU’s Alyssa Leonardo in two straight matches, with scores of 21-18 and 21-12. Malvinne Alcala of UP continued to showcase the talents of the Lady Maroons as she conquered Arriane Rivera of DLSU in two matches, both scoring 21-11.

The combo of Castilo and Lea Inlayo from UP continued to shine as they overcame the duo of Leonardo and Mariya Sevilla. The Fighting Maroons finished with 21-12 scores for both matches. The second doubles match gave La Salle hope as DLSU’s Kristelle Salattan and Airis Montilla managed to capture one match against UP’s doubles team of Alcala and Jessie Francisco, scoring 21-19. However, Salattan and Montilla fell short as Alcala and Francisco succeeded in snatching two matches with scores of 21-17 and 21-8.

The last game of the day showed that the Green-and-White squad could equal the talents of the Lady Maroon squad. Sevilla of La Salle managed to outhustle UP’s Beatriz Bernardo in two straight matches with scores of 21-19 and 21-15.

After tasting their first loss of the season, the Green and Lady Shuttlers will aim for redemption as they go against the NU Bulldogs on Wednesday, September 21, in the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall at 8 am and 1 pm, respectively.