The Ateneo Men’s Badminton Team maintained a spotless record in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88, delivering an impressive 5-0 win over the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons. The match took place earlier today, October 15, at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall in the City of Manila.
This victory gives the Blue Eagles their third uninterrupted win, lifting the Katipunan-based squad to 3-0 and keeping them atop the league standings.
In today’s opening bout, Team Captain Lyrden Laborte matched against AdU’s Kyrik Roldan. The first set saw the Atenean skipper continue his performance from Sunday’s match, as he turned in an absolute barrage against Adamson’s shuttler. Jumping out to a 5-1 lead from the get-go, Laborte continued his powerful offense, eventually beating AdU’s Roldan with a 21-4 record in favor of Ateneo.
Coming into the second set, Laborte lagged behind after several would-be rallies turned into errors, 3-6. Despite trailing for most of the interval, Laborte quickly regained composure, stringing together a 9-2 sprint that gained him the lead at 17-11. Battling afterwards for every point, the set came to an end when Laborte forced his adversary to hit the top of the net, giving Ateneo’s first team-tie point of the morning through a 21-14 victory.
Moving over to the second singles match of the day, Ateneo’s Robby Ramos began with several attacks sailing out of the court at the start of the first set, which resulted in an early disadvantage, 3-8. Reinvigorated midway through the canto, Ramos ramped up his aggressiveness with multiple strong smashes, tying the set at 11-all. Riding the wave of his momentum, the Ateneo stalwart then continued to dominate for the remainder of the first frame, eventually taking a 21-16 victory.
Ramos maintained his strong attacking front entering the second set, where he took an 8-5 lead after a powerful jump smash directly into the taraflex. Exploiting his opponent’s error-laden performance, Ramos’s precise attacks forced Oliveros into multiple miscues to extend his advantage, 19-13. A final miscue from Oliveros gave Ramos the second set, 21-16, delivering the Blue and White their second team point, 2-0.
With a chance to win the overall match, Ateneo’s Pingkoy Salvado and Lance Vargas faced off against Adamson’s Gabrielle Ganoy and Noel Hernandez Jr. First set action found the Blue Eagle duo working together flawlessly, executing a fast-paced offense that broke down the Soaring Falcons’ defense to forge a four-point gap, 6-2. However, the pair went through a handful of minor turbulence as they surrendered points due to unforced errors, 8-4. Despite giving up four more points to Adamson, Ateneo entered the half with a comfortable five-point margin at 11-6.
In consecutive possessions, both teams exchanged high-intensity rallies until the Atenean duo extended the lead further with a 5-2 sprint, 16-8. Due to avoidable mistakes such as missed smashes and service errors, the Loyola-Heights based pair had their margin cut to seven, 18-11. Determined to end the set, the Blue Eagles returned powerful rallies, leading the Adamson duo to make errors. In the last possession, Salvado placed a shot in a difficult position, which forced AdU’s Hernandez Jr. to hit the net and gave Ateneo the first set victory, 21-12.
The following frame found Salvado and Vargas starting sluggishly, allowing a 3-all deadlock in the battle’s opening minutes. However, a 4-0 run carried by Salvado’s masterful shot placement gave Ateneo a comfortable cushion, 7-3. From then on, the two teams traded rallies, with Vargas unleashing a flurry of shots through his quick reflexes, giving the Blue Eagles a seven-point advantage, 13-6. As both squads experience fatigue, it was Ateneo’s conditioning that kept their offense afloat, ballooning their lead to 19-10. With the end in their sights, Salvado smashed a missile that AdU could not return, giving Ateneo the overall team-tie victory, 21-10.
Heading into the second doubles match of the morning, the Blue Eagles paraded the star duo of Laborte and Ramos to battle Adamson’s Eur Cabanducos and John Paul Badang. The first set saw both teams exchanging rallies, with the Blue Eagles taking a slight advantage, 6-5. However, the Atenean duo’s stunning display of speed swung momentum in their favor, as Ramos’s emphatic finish at the net increased the lead, 10-6. Despite the Ermita-based unit’s efforts to cut the deficit, 16-11, the Blue Eagles stabilized the ship, cruising to a first set victory, 21-14.
One set away from a fourth team point, the Blue Eagles kicked off the second set in resounding fashion, dispatching consecutive smashes to take an early 2-0 advantage. Afterwards, the ever-fiery Laborte continued to dominate at the net with a thunderous swing, 8-3. Deploying an array of well-placed lob shots, the Atenean pair relentlessly kept the pressure on their opponents, resulting in a nine-point lead, 16-7. With their fourth team point within reach, Ramos skied for a forceful finish, securing the second set and the match at 21-11.
In the final match of the day, Blue Eagles’ standout rookie Zeth Quiambao faced off against Soaring Falcons’ Nathaniel Acedillo. The game, which was held for formality’s sake, was Quiambao’s debut in singles action. Taking on the match, Quiambao wasted no time in showcasing his superstar potential by displaying tremendous athleticism to secure a 10-2 lead. Despite being on the receiving end of several runs, Quiambao’s determination never faltered as he used his speedy footwork to extend his advantage, 16-10. In the dying moments of the set, the Blue Eagle athlete went off on a 5-0 barrage, taking the first set, 21-10.
The second set affair became an intense battle, which started with Quiambao taking the early advantage, 4-0. The rookie shuttler then rode his offensive momentum to stump the Soaring Falcon, ballooning the deficit to 12-4. However, Quiambao saw his lead dwindle to 14-10 due to missed returns, threatening Ateneo’s perfect outing for the day. After a back-and-forth battle that placed the score at 19-15, Quiambao forced consecutive errors that completed Ateneo’s sweep, 21-15, and his first successful outing in singles competition.
With their third straight win, Team Captain Laborte explained how the team will not allow themselves to get complacent on their way to bringing the championship back to Katipunan.
“We have a strong team. We have the confidence to play, but at the same time ‘di dapat kami magrelax and maliitin yung kalaban. It’s just anybody’s game at the end of the day,” Laborte stated.
(We have a strong team. We have the confidence to play, but at the same time we shouldn’t relax and underestimate our opponents. It’s just anybody’s game at the end of the day.)
The Blue Eagles strive to extend their hot streak as they take on the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Shuttlers tomorrow, October 16, at 8:00 AM in the same venue.
Team-tie Score:
Ateneo-AdU: 5-0
Results:
First Singles: Laborte (Ateneo) def. Roldan (AdU), 21-4, 21-14
Second Singles: Ramos (Ateneo) def. Oliveros (AdU), 21-16, 21-16
First Doubles: Salvado & Vargas (Ateneo) def. Ganoy & Hernandez (AdU), 21-12, 21-10
Second Doubles: Laborte & Ramos (Ateneo) def. Cabanducos & Badang (AdU), 21-14, 21-11
Third Singles: Quiambao (Ateneo) def. Acedillo (AdU), 21-10, 21-15
Current Standings (W-L):
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (3-0)
- NU Bulldogs (3-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-1)
- UST Tiger Shuttlers (1-2)
- AdU Soaring Falcons (0-3)
- DLSU Green Shuttlers (0-3)
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