The Green Shuttlers and Lady Shuttlers had a roller coaster ride this week at the Rizal Memorial Complex, as they began their Badminton tournament for UAAP Season 81. Both the Green, Lady Shuttlers experienced losses in their respective games but showed flashes of resiliency with their victories. The Green Shuttlers currently have a 3-1 record, while the Lady Shuttlers hold a 2-1 record in the UAAP Badminton standings.
Minor setback
The defending champions, Lady Shuttlers, lost their first match of the season against Ateneo. As the shuttlers fell to ADMU ,2-3, head coach Owen Lopez gave a few words for his players: “May nanalo, may natatalo, at i-improve natin yung nasimulan natin kaya mahaba pa ang season, and I hope makakapag-adjust pa tayo.”
(There were winners, there were losers, and let’s improve [on] what we started. The season is still long, and I hope we will still be able to adjust.)
Meanwhile the Green Shuttlers encountered their first loss of the season against NU last September 29. The team from La Salle were fresh off two victories against UST and UE but faced a powerhouse team in NU.
“Alam naman namin na power house ang NU….Nagkataon na yung game nila sa NU ay hindi naging maganda, so I hope mas magiging aggressive sila sa susunod nilang mga games.” Coach Lopez stated.
(We know that NU is a power house… It just so happen that their game against NU didn’t look good.)
The Green Shuttlers started their match with DLSU’s Andrew Pineda who battled NU’s Ros Pedrosa. The two players split their first singles match, but Pineda was able to win the final match, 16-21.
The second singles match was followed by Louie Kharial against NU’s Keeyan Gabuelo. The losing streak for the Shuttlers continued as Gabuelo easily won the two games against Kharial.
La Salle’s Cayel Parajillo and Bless Linaban paired up for the first doubles match. Despite winning the second game, the Shuttlers lost a close duel in the third round, 24-22, against their counterparts, extending their losing streak to three.
In the second doubles match, DLSU’s Pineda and Siegfried Malabanan faced NU’s Mike Minuluan and Niel Pineda. NU was able to win the first game, however, Pineda and Malbanan surged for a comeback in the final two games, giving the Shuttlers their only win against NU.
The final singles match featured Parajillo against NU’s Alvin Morada. Morada beat Parajillo in a sweep, concluding the final 1-4 score of DLSU and NU, with the Green Shuttlers losing their first match of the season.
Resilience in bouncing back
In their second game of the season, the Lady Shuttlers were victorious against Adamson with a 5-0 victory in all their matches.
The first singles match was between Nicole Albo and AdU’s Clydel Pada. Albo dominated the first set with an impressive 21-5 score and capped it off with a 2-0 sweep. Incidentally, the second singles match included Mariya Sevilla and AdU’s Mikaela Aquino, which resulted in a 2-0 victory as Sevilla won both matches with a margin of 7 points of each set.
Kanna Baba and Victoria Yason were assigned for the first doubles match against AdU’s Alyssa San Pedro and Jhay Maccabenta. The competing counterparts split the first two games, and DLSU finished the match with a 21-18 victory in the final set, with a 2-1 victory over AdU.
In the second doubles match, Albo and Sevilla were matched up against AdU’s Pada and Aquino. The Lady Shuttlers easily won the two sets, 21-9, 21-16, capping of the sweep. The final singles match was between Baba and AdU’s Maccabenta, with Baba winning two sets, 21-7, 21-10, concluding the 5-0 victory against Adamson and the first win for Lady Shuttlers this season.
On September 30, the Lady Shuttlers continued their success by sweeping UST, 5-0, however, on the other hand, the Green Shuttlers fell to the Blue Eagles, 3-2. As the UAAP Badminton tourney has just begun, the team from Taft will look to improve their tallies as the competition advances.
Earlier today, October 2, at 1 pm, the Lady Shuttlers faced the UP Lady Maroons. The Green Shuttlers will return to the same venue on Thursday, October 4, at 8 am to square off with the AdU Soaring Falcons, whereas the DLSU Lady Shuttlers will battle it out with the NU Lady Bulldogs at 1pm.
