With the entire University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University contingent seating side-by-side to cheer on the Lady Tamaraws on one side and the UST contingent on the other of the arena, the tension between both sides was thick. However, in a monumental turn of events, FEU upsets last year’s champions to give UP the UAAP Season 77 Women’s Taekwondo Championship.
Ronielette Balancio blasted Colleen Heria 9-4 to win the finweight bout. Korina Paladin tied the series with an 8-6 win over Geena Gadit. In an upset at the bantamweight division, Cindy Balmes shut-out former MVP Nicole Cham. Both Balmes and Cham hardly connected on a successful kick all throughout the match. However, Cham’s two 1st round kyonggos cost her the match to give Balmes a 1-0 win. Bianca Go tied the series once more with an 11-8 win over Virhannah Glindo. Sarah Tej Gill gave FEU the series lead once more with a 10-3 win over Zay Cajes.
For the Lady Tamaraws the welterweight match between Clouie Bolinas and Arriane Asegurado as they could not afford a loss in this bout since Philippine Team Member Jane Narra was almost a sure-win for the Tigresses throughout the season. Prior to the bout, Arriane Asegurado had a clean 5-0 late while Bolinas was 4-1. The FEU-UP contingent serenaded Bolinas with a Let’s go Tamaraws chant to welcome her on to the mat. After a 1st round that saw Bolinas and Asegurado test each other out, the scorecard was 0-0. Bolinas exploded right after the round break with a series of successful kicks. From 4-all, the Bolinas lead would extend to as high as 13-5 before the clock hit 0. Clouie Bolinas defeated Arriane Asegurado to give, not only FEU the win, but UP the coveted championship.
The UP women’s team congratulated and thanked Bolinas right after on the sidelines before being swarmed by her teammates.
SERIES SUMMARY
DAY 3 AFTERNOON SERIES: UST vs. FEU
UST 3-4 FEU
WOMEN’S FINWEIGHT MATCH
FEU: RONIELETTE BALANCIO (W-L: 5-1) def. UST: COLLEEN HERIA (W-L: 4-2) via final score (PTF)
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT MATCH
UST: KORINA PALADIN (W-L: 5-1) def. FEU: GEENA MAE GADIT (W-L: 3-3) via final score (PTF)
WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT MATCH
FEU: CINDY BALMES (W-L: 3-3) def. UST: NICOLE ABIGAIL CHAM (W-L: 3-1) via final score (PTF)
WOMEN’S FEATHERWEIGHT MATCH
UST: BIANCA MAURICE GO (W-L: 3-3) def. FEU: VIRHANNAH GLINDO (W-L: 2-4) via final score (PTF)
WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT MATCH
FEU: SARAH TEJ GILL (W-L: 3-3) def. UST: ZAY LOUISE CAJES (W-L: 1-5) via final score (PTF)
WOMEN’S WELTERWEIGHT MATCH
FEU: CLOUIE BOLINAS (W-L: 5-1) def. UST: ARRIANE ASEGURADO (W-L: 5-1) via final score (PTF)
WOMEN’S MIDDLEWEIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT MATCH
UST: JANE RAFAELLE NARRA (W-L: 6-0) def. FEU: FILA SABERON (W-L: 3-3) via final score (PTF)
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