After silencing the ADMU Lady Eagles for a spot in the finals, the DLSU Lady Shuttlers earned their second straight victory in Game 1 of their best-of-three finals against the UP Lady Maroons, 3-2, last Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.
Equal scoring
Arianne Rivera played the first game against the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player Poca Alcala in a stunning three set match, 21-16, 12-21, and 21-19, shutting down one of UP’s top singles players and giving La Salle its first win of the day. Nicole Albo also contributed to the team, winning her match against Lady Maroons’ team captain Marina Caculitan, 21-11, 14-21, 21-19.
Eager to keep their record unscathed this season, the Maroons swept the doubles rounds with Alcala and Jessie Francisco up in the first doubles match game against La Salle’s Iyah Sevilla and Lindsay Tercias, wherein UP won 14-21, 21-18, and 8-21. With the team from Taft desperate to close the game, it was UP who answered back in only two sets, 10-21, 16-21, tying the tie at two-all.
Turning tables
Having both teams tense with the tied scores, the last match of the day was faced by DLSU’s Sevilla, who played against Francisco. Before the match, Sevilla reminded herself that she was doing it to redeem herself. “[This is] for my redemption because I failed during the semis. So I was thinking na this is my chance to prove to everyone that I am more than what I showed in the semis,” she explained.
With these words carved in the back of her mind, she was able to crush the player from Katipunan and woo the crowd with a two-set match, 21-11 and 21-17, giving UP its first loss of the season.
“I am actually lost in words. I can’t explain how I felt. Basta all forms of happiness. I am also proud of how our team fought,” she stated.
The Lady Shuttlers look forward to giving their all in their second match-up against the Lady Maroons this Thursday, October 19 at the same venue. A win on Thursday would mean a championship for the Lady Shuttlers.
