The DLSU Green Shuttlers suffered another grueling defeat in their UAAP Season 86 Badminton tournament campaign as they failed to topple the defending champion NU Bulldogs, 4-1, earlier today, October 29, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City. James Capin secured the point for the Green and White in a three-set thriller in the final singles match.
On the other hand, the DLSU Lady Shuttlers had a more euphoric day as they beat down the AdU Lady Falcons, 4-1. The Green and White had a comfortable play as they immediately won three straight games to settle the win before a tight second doubles game ended their hopes of a sweep.
Leaving it late
Jason Pajarillo once again set things in motion for the Green Shuttlers as he faced NU’s Mark Velasco. Pajarillo got off to a hot start in his games against Velasco but found himself losing the lead as he was at the receiving end of late runs in both of his matches, 21-11 and 21-16.
Joshua Cuarte stepped up next for the Green Shuttlers, matching up with Bulldog Marcjoel Perez. In both his matches, Cuarte trailed early on going into the break, but he kept his cool to launch a comeback against Perez. However, it was too late as his opposition got to 21 before he could take the lead. He managed to maintain a close gap, just trailing by three in both matches, 21-18 and 21-18.
The showdown then shifted to the doubles side with Joshua Morada and Yugin Tan taking on Julius Villabrille and James Villarante. However, the duo found it difficult to break down their opponents as they trailed early on in their matches and were unable to keep themselves within striking distance of the scoreline up until the games ended, 21-9 and 21-10.
In the next game, Yuan Tan and Jeff Cruz went on a slow start against Solomon Padiz Jr. and Zed Monterubio as they were limited in their first game, 21-8. In the second game, Yuan Tan and Cruz showed off their teamwork to force a late back-and-forth between the two sides that took the Lasallian faithful to the edge of their seats. However, fate seemed to be against them as they lost the two final points and the game, 24-22.
In the final game, James Capin showed out for the Green Shuttlers against Miko Mosarbas. He dazzled in the first match as he capitalized on Mosarbas’ errors and kept his shots inside the lines to win the first set, 21-18. His momentum seemed to cool off in the second set, though, as he lost, 21-12. But, in the third set, he retaliated by forcing more errors and pinpointed his shots inside the lines to outscore Mosarbas, 21-17.
Responding to adversity
For the women’s side, Vinia Antonio was the first Shuttler called to action to play against Graziel Cabriga. Antonio enjoyed a bright start in both of her games, leading in the early stages going into the break. Antonio then maintained the lead after the break in both games as she forced Cabriga to rush close and hit her shots at the net gifting the Lady Shuttler points and the win, 22-20 and 21-10.
Mia Manguilimotan followed Antonio’s act as she looked to replicate her opening-day singles result. Pitted against Camille Buagas, Manguilimotan lost the opening set, 21-13, but immediately bounced back in the second set dominating Buagas and forcing numerous errors to fuel her run and her win, 21-8. In the third set, Manguilimotan kept her game plan and set her sights between the lines to keep her on point for the second win of the Lady Shuttlers, 21-14.
Manguilimotan played back-to-back games, but on the second time, she stood with Palma Cruz for the first doubles game, taking on Katherine Dulay and Justine Barasona. The Lasallian duo were kept on their toes in their matchup, but they masterfully controlled their shots between the lines and kept pressure on the opposition to force errors to win them the game, 21-18 and 21-14.
Jacqueline Pantoja and Kishia Dedicatoria were next to represent the Lady Shuttlers; They were paired against Cabriga and Buagas. Pantoja and Dedicatoria split their first two games winning the first, 21-14 and 21-15. But for the third set, they were in a back-and-forth battle that had everyone on the edge of their seats, but they eventually lost the game, 21-19.
Ghiselle Bautista was the last one to show out for the Shuttlers as she faced off against Justine Barasona. The first set was close going into the break, but Bautista kept her shots in as she went on a 5-0 run to win, 21-13. In the second set, Bautista cruised through before the break and continued to keep her shots between the lines and force her opponent to hit the net to win the set, 21-11.
After the game, Capin shared optimism about the improving performances of the team as she describe their current game, “Medyo bitin po. Lumalaban naman.”
(It was a bit short. But we continue to fight.)
The nature of competition against other teams also inspires the team to move forward in the tournament. Capin expressed, “Excited po na nakakalaban yung ibang team po.”
(We are excited to go up against the other teams.)
The Green and Lady Shuttlers will be back in action after short break, as they take on the UP Fighting Maroons and ADMU Blue Eagles, respectively, next Saturday, November 4, at the Centro Atletico Badminton Center in Quezon City.
