“Ang players kasi talaga kapag gusto nila, kukunin nila yan, bale ako lang yung taga-guide para makuha nila yung goal nila, which is to win,” – this is the confident answer of head coach Owen Lopez as he was asked how they managed to succumb UST with a surprise win, 3-2.
In the first singles game against UST, Green Shuttler Gerald Sibayan lost against Paul John Pantig of UST in a three set affair. Sibayan struggled at first, dropping the opening set, 11-21. Despite the loss, he picked up the pace and returned the favor to Pantig in the second set, 21-15. However, he stumbled and Pantig snatched the victory finishing the game with the score of 22-20. Kenneth Monterubio of DLSU also tussled with his opponent in the next singles game against Mark Sotea, 21-16 and 21-16.
The first doubles match were more nerve wrecking since it was the deciding game for the match up between DLSU and UST. The Anton Cayanan and Gerald Sibayan duo were defeated at the first set by Paul John Pantig and John Edgard Reyes by 14-21. However in the second set, the tables have turned for the Cayanan-Sibayan pair and continued to cruised to victory until the last set, 21-15 and 25-23.
At this point, the Taft-based squad managed to get their confidence back and tried to penetrate UST in the next match ups. The brothers in arms, Joshua and Kenneth Monterubio of DLSU outplayed Mark Sotea and Kristian Barrios in the second doubles match of the game. It was pretty smooth as DLSU won a straight two sets against their opponents, 21-10 and 26-24. Cayanan never gave Alaced Lee Sabanal a chance and ended the game with a victorious, 21-8 and 21-19 in the first and second set respectively.
– Naomi Imbang –
