THE UST Lady Paddlers erased the bitter memory of a bridesmaid finish in the 67th Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Table Tennis wars by finishing first in the 3rd Inter-Scholastic Table Tennis Championship last Oct. 15-17 at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Human Kinetics Gym.
With Philippine Team standout Chrisma Yanga at the helm, the España-based Paddlers dismantled this year’s UAAP titlist De La Salle University (DLSU), 3-2, in a tough see-saw finals battle to exact revenge.
The same DLSU squad dethroned UST in the recently-concluded UAAP table tennis finals, 3-2.
Back-up stringers Jaymee Yanga and Princess Paña unloaded a high-octane offense to zoom in on the title.
“With the way they play right now, I can say that they have a 90 per cent chance of regaining the UAAP title next year,” head coach Henberd Oratalla said of his female wards.
The College of Saint Benilde placed third in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the UST Male Paddlers fell short of grabbing the title as they bowed before a formidable UP squad, 2-3. The three-time UAAP champions battled throughout the three-day event without their ace paddlers—this year’s UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Harold Baring and former MVP Celedonio Pisan.
“The next UAAP season will be a tougher one for the men’s team because they (Baring and Pisan) will no longer be around,” Ortalla explained of his key players’ departure, who have are already played out the UAAP eligibility.
Ortalla, a former UST Paddler and currently a Camp Crame-based police officer, said the tournament will further hone his players’ skills for the next UAAP season.
