With opposing turnouts, the Lady Shuttlers drubbed the NU Lady Bulldogs with a compelling 3-1 victory, whereas the Green Shuttlers suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of the ADMU Blue Eagles at the end of eliminations earlier today at Camp Crame PNP Badminton Club in Quezon City.
Today’s matches proved to be crucial to the semi-finals contention as the Lady Shuttlers’ triumph secured them at second with a twice-to-beat advantage after delivering five wins and one loss behind ADMU’s undefeated 6-0 slate. Meanwhile, the Green Shuttlers’ loss dropped them to third with a 4-2 win-loss card behind NU and ADMU with 6-0 and 5-1 records, respectively.
Regarding their eliminations round performance, Green Shuttler team captain Emilio Mangubat shared, “Noong start ng season sobrang ganda ng performance namin. ‘Yung last two games lang talaga, kinapos kami. Pero sayang hindi namin nakapitan, hindi namin nakuha yun.”
(We performed really well at the start of the season. However, we fell short the last two games. It’s a shame that we were not able to win them.)
Loaded and driven Lady Shuttlers
Concluding their Season 82 elimination round on a high note, the Lady Shuttlers only dropped one game and registered five wins, which gave them the twice-to-beat advantage heading into the semi-finals.
The Lady Shuttlers ignited a 5-0 triumph against UST as they opened their bid to reclaim the championship title they lost last season. However, it was a complete reversal of outcomes in their subsequent matchup, collapsing in all five games against ADMU, 0-5.
The setback, however, fueled the ladies from La Salle for a comeback; they trounced AdU with four wins and one loss before crushing UE without sparing them the chance to fight back, 5-0. With the winning momentum in their favor, they prevailed against UP to guarantee a semi-finals berth, 4-1. The Green-and-White maintained composure that rowed the squad past NU to assure them of second seed even without playing the final singles rubber, 3-1.
“Nag-focus kami. Nag-step up naman lahat, so maganda ‘yung pinerform namin tapos nakuha namin ‘yung gusto naming spot,” Lady Shuttler team captain Iyah Sevilla mentioned.
(We were focused. Everyone stepped up and performed well, that’s why we got the spot we wanted.)
Gritty and sharp Green Shuttlers
With an impressive win streak until midway into the competition, the Green Shuttlers tumbled in their last two matchups against the top-seeded NU and second-seeded ADMU.
A convincing 5-0 opener against AdU boosted the Lasallian squad’s morale at the start of the season. With the victory, they continued to show intensity and dispatched UE, 4-1, and outlasted UP—surrendering both doubles, then rallying to claim the deciding singles match, 3-2. They carried the momentum into the next matchup and dominated UST in five games, keeping DLSU in the win column with a clean 4-0 record alongside NU.
However, as the team battled against the five-peat champions NU, the Green-and-White folded, 4-1. But Mangubat and Christian Bernardo’s gallant stand against NU’s captain Keeyan Gabuelo and Bryan Bernardo in the first and final singles, respectively, and the rest of the team’s performance that pushed them to a deciding frame in all games, reignited hopes of eroding NU’s reign and reclaiming the championship this season.
“Syempre ‘yung ultimate goal talaga namin makuha ulit namin ‘yung championship. Kailangan naming mag-champion. Kailangan naming makuha ulit yun,” Mangubat shared fervently.
(Of course, our ultimate goal is to reclaim the championship. We have to become the champions. We have to achieve that.)
As the Green Shuttlers slipped to second and tied with ADMU, the Taft-based roster was driven to lock the twice-to-beat advantage for their side, but their efforts fell short to overcome the team from Katipunan, 4-1. La Salle settled for third at the end of eliminations.
“Masaya pa rin ako sa performance namin kasi confident naman ako na mas maganda yung magiging pwesto namin sa Final Four,” Mangubat explained.
(I am happy with our performance and I am confident that we will get a good standing in the Final Four.)
Despite the two losses, the Green Shuttlers remain undaunted and believe that they can pull off an upset in the postseason, while the Lady Shuttlers vow to display their tenacity to win until they reach the end game.
The semi-finals matchups will commence on Wednesday, October 2, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Court in Quezon City. The Lady Shuttlers will have their matchup at 8 am, while the Green Shuttlers will attempt to extend the semi-finals series at 1 pm and push for a do-or-die game on Friday.
