DESPITE a rookie-laden team, the UST Lady Shuttlecockers posted a gallant bridesmaid finish in the UAAP Season 69 Badminton wars last March 4 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.
“They made it this far because they wanted to prove their worth,” head coach Noli Cajefe told the Varsitarian. “It’s just that they went up against great players.”
Fresh from blanking the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles in the penultimate match, UST suffered its first loss in the tournament, 2-3, against eventual titlists Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in the best of five finals showdown. University of the Philippines (UP) finished third.
In first singles match, Season 69 Rookie of the Year (ROY) Rochanie Decatoria faltered against FEU veteran Chona Rivera, 14-21 and 9-21.
UST junior player Rose Ann Dela Cruz looked poised to avenge UST in the second singles match, but lost steam in the crucial times for a 23-25, 19-21 loss to FEU’s Jommalyn Cabañero. Dela Cruz started hot with her smash hits for a 13-4 cushion, but committed a service ace at the 16-point mark that fueled her lethargic plays.
In the tension-filled decision doubles game, the rookie tandem of Decatoria and Chona Medina fell prey to the relentless attacks of FEU veterans Rivera and Cabañero, 18-21, 9-21.
On the brighter side, UST breezed past UP and University of the East (UE) in twinbill 4-1 victories for a finals seed.
Losing grip
After winning the UAAP title for the last two seasons, the Tiger Shuttlecockers failed to do better than their female counterparts as they slid to a lowly fifth place this year.
UST finished the season with a stinging 1-4 defeat against FEU Tamaraws last March 4 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. In the first singles match, neophyte Kevin Dalisay lost to eventual Season 69 ROY Andrei Babad, 14-21, 19-21. UST junior player Paolo Dawal tried to atone Dalisay in the succeeding match, but committed two untimely consecutive errors that shattered the 20-all deadlock in the deciding round for a 17-21, 24-22, and 25-27 loss.
The match featured a number of exchange hits, but Dawal committed two untimely consecutive errors that shattered the 20-all deadlock that kissed UST’s redemption hopes goodbye. In the first doubles match, UST’s Dalisay and Derrick Chan also lost to FEU’s Wilson Frias and RP shuttler Mark Alvin Natividad, 15-21, 19-21.
Earlier, Thomasian rookie Renz Vivas and partner Andrew Bautista scored a redeeming win off FEU’s Edison Mendoza and Adrian Toledo, 21-16 and 21-17, in the second doubles match.
The victory, however, did not matter after Tiger sophomore Mico Mercenares failed to duplicate the previous win in a 12-21, 12-21 loss to Natividad in another singles action. “It was a disheartening finish for us, but we have to face the fact there will come a time when we have to make do of what we have because we can’t always be on top,” Cajefe said. In earlier matches, UST had twin 4-1 victories against Adamson University and National University. The Tiger Shuttlecockers, however, bowed down to their UP counterparts, 2-3, and suffered a 1-4 defeat at the hands of UE.
