The defending UAAP women’s badminton champions University of the Philippines Lady Maroons know what it takes to rise up from a deficit. With their backs against the wall, the Lady Maroons fought for another chance.
With the strength of the surprising win of team captain Marina Caculitan and the awakening of top player Poca Alcala, the reigning three-peat queens subdued the De La Salle University Lady Shuttlers, 3-1, to push for an all-important tie on Saturday.
According to the UP skipper, the situation even motivated them to defend the throne. “Mas tumapang kami, mas naging close yung team.”
But the most important thing the state brought them was, “We learned from our mistakes.”
That learning was evident from the first two singles matches as Alcala and Caculitan shrugged off missed opprtunities from the last tie and took the 2-0 lead this time.
Alcala bamboozled Arianne Rivera in the first set of the opening singles match at 21-9, before fending off the late challenge of the latter in the second at 21-18. The reigning Most Valuable Player showed composure throughout the entire match, bouncing back once she felt Rivera is on a run.
Such composure was also evident in Caculitan’s contest against Iyah Sevilla. After the Maroon seized the initiative in both sets, the junior La Sallian pulled away late in the frames. Nonetheless, Caculitan held on during the rallies and despite going down 16-20 in either games, still pulled through in the end in two 22-20 sets.
Isay Leonardo and Nicole Albo finally took one past the pesky duo of Ann Maranon and Lea Inlayo. The Maroons tried to mount comebacks, but La Salle pocketed the match at 21-19, 21-19.
However, the day really belonged to the defending champs.
Alcala and Jessie Francisco wasted no time and blasted Lindsay Tercias and Sevilla in two quick sets at 21-15, 21-8, to send both teams to a winner-take-all tie on Saturday.
The Lady Maroons and the Lady Shuttlers take to the court one last time on October 21, Saturday, at 1pm, for the right to be named champions of UAAP Season 80 women’s badminton.
