The DLSU Lady Paddlers remain undefeated after the fifth match day of the UAAP Season 80, as they triumphed over the NU Lady Bulldogs and the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, October 1. Meanwhile, the DLSU Green Paddlers swept archrivals ADMU Blue Eagles but eventually lost to the UST Growling Tigers in their final match-up on the same day at the UP Diliman Human Kinetics Gym.
Strong season continues
The defending champions extended their winning streak to ten matches this season after defeating both NU and FEU. Chantal Alberto breezed past NU’s Garcia with a 3-0 win to open up the the day for the Lady Paddlers.
Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player and 2017 SEA Games representative Emy Dael overpowered her opponent by winning three games with a scoreline of 11-1. Mardeline Carreon and Caressha Bernaldez wrapped up the match-up against NU, winning 3-0, against Albandia and Ramirez in the doubles match.
A close encounter between the Lady Paddlers and FEU followed but the Lasallians managed to get past their opponents by winning the match-up, 3-1. Dael played first and earned a 3-1 victory over FEU’s Padol. Alberto squeaked past her opponent with a 3-2 result to give the Lady Paddlers two wins against FEU.
The Lasallians would lose their first match of the day after the doubles pair of Carreon and Bernaldez succumbed to the team of Talay and Alzado, 3-0, to give FEU life. Team captain Jamaica Sy, though, clinched the win for La Salle after she defeated Gabutin, 3-1. It was a tightly contested match wherein both players exerted a huge amount of effort to outplay each other but it was Gabuntin’s error at the end that paved the way for Sy to notch the win.
Mixed results for Green Paddlers
The runners-up last season won against ADMU but lost against UST on match day five. Team captain Ralph Nones shared that he wants his team to bring out their game in order to perform better. “Okay naman yung performance, siguro kumulang lang sa tapang na ilabas yung game namin. May kaya pa kaming gawin, pero hindi namin malabas kasi kinukulang sa tapang yung ibang players.”
(The performance was okay, maybe we just lacked the courage in our game. We can still do something but we can’t show it because other players are still lacking in courage)
Francis Garganian and Tarak Cabrido won their respective singles match with 3-0 wins over their opponents to start the day against ADMU. Edward So and Nathan Siasco teamed up in the doubles match and overcame ADMU’s Sy and Rondolo, 3-2, to clinch the win and notch the team’s sixth win of the season.
Opening up the match-up against UST was Garganian but he lost to Que, 3-1. Cabrido, however, did his part and gave La Salle its first win. However, it proved to be the last of the day as his teammates were not able to get past UST. The doubles pair of Nones and Siasco succumbed to Cruz and Abuang, while So failed to win his match to keep the Green-and-White afloat.
On October 4, at 8 am, the Lady Paddlers and the Green Paddlers will face off against UE, while at 1 pm on the same day, the women’s team will resume action against archrival ADMU, while the men’s team will match-up against UP. All games will be played at the same venue.
