Far Eastern University moved one step closer to redemption, advancing to the best-of-three UAAP Season 88 Women’s Table Tennis Finals after an elimination round sweep on Wednesday at the Amoranto Sports Arena in Diliman, Quezon City.
The Lady Tamaraws kicked off the day with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Season 87 Finals rivals University of Santo Tomas, marking their 10th straight victory in the tournament, backed by Huaching Foundation and Topcoms Marketing Inc.
With the match tied at two games apiece, FEU rookie Christine Golez outlasted former high school teammate Trexiemay Alarcon, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5, to secure the win for the Morayta-based squad.
For long-time head coach Noel Gonzales, the addition of talented recruits made the difference this year.
He said, “Last year kasi hindi kami gano’n ka-solid, kumbaga ‘yung rookies ko hindi gano’n kataas ‘yung level. Pero, ngayon ‘yung mga rookies ko, sila (Chrishein) Santillan, (Cate) Sarmiento, at si Golez, malalakas sila.”
Santillan, meanwhile, dominated Ateneo de Manila University’s Pachica, 11-3, 11-4, 11-1, before Glieza Ampalid and Krisha Reyes outlasted Nicole Alemania and Sophia Fabregar, 11-4, 12-10, 7-11, 5-11, 11-9, completing the 3-0 sweep of the Blue Eagles.
Reyes and Shaira Gabisay then closed out the elimination-round sweep with a swift 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 victory over Maorielle Nicolas and Nelly Jane Baroro.
UST ended the round-robin stage with a 10-2 record, earning a bye to the second round of the stepladder, where they will face the winner between De La Salle University (8-4) and Ateneo (6-6) for a spot in the Finals.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
On the men’s side, six-peat-seeking UST Tiger Paddlers extended their dominance with a 56th consecutive win dating back to Round 2 of Season 86, securing a Finals berth with commanding performances throughout the day.
The reigning kings swept all their opponents 3-0, defeating FEU, Adamson, and the University of the Philippines.
“Alam naman namin na we’ll be losing players going into the season, so malaki talagang adjustment sa ‘min. Pero ang maganda is we’re really hungry for the gold, and lahat talaga, pati ‘yung rookies, nag-step up,” said long-time UST mentor Jackson Que.
Graduating senior Prince Garcia played a pivotal role in sending his team to the championship in his final year, scoring two wins with different doubles partners to seal the victories.
The 25-year-old standout began the day with an 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 win alongside Abraham Paul Antivo over FEU’s Julian Del Rosario and Darwin Yunson, before teaming with Ruiz Arc Marcelino for an 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 victory against UP’s Mark Aguilar and Benzdio Florida.
Ateneo, finishing with a 9-3 record, claimed second place in the eliminations and secured a semifinals bye after a 3-1 victory over Adamson (6-6).
DLSU’s 3-1 win over FEU forced a triple tie at 5-7 with FEU and UP, setting up two additional playoff matches before the stepladder semifinals.
The Green Paddlers will face the winner of the Tamaraws-Fighting Maroons one-off clash, with the survivor taking on the Adamson Soaring Falcons to kick off the stepladder postseason.
