THE UST Paddlers highlighted their off-season build-up with medal-clinching feats in the 11th Donic-Star Sports University of the Philippines (UP) Chancellor’s Cup National Invitational Table Tennis Tournament last March 31 to April 4 at the UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) gym in Starmall Alabang.
UST reaped two golds and a bronze in the tournament.
Lady Paddler Cassandra Bazar teamed up with Tiger Paddlers assistant coach Julius Esposo to rule the mixed doubles event via a 3-0 shellacking of teammate Chrisma Capistrano and UST Junior Paddlers head coach Celjun Ortalla.
“I think chemistry brought us to the championship because being comfortable with your partner is a crucial factor,” said Bazar, a former Palarong Pambansa gold medalist. “Both Chrisma (Capistrano) and I didn’t have enough practice prior to the match. Maybe I was also lucky since coach Julius gave me a big boost.”
Later in the day, Ortalla played alongside national champion Esposo to repulse Isaias Seronio and Leo De Leon, 3-1, and win the men’s doubles title.
Ortalla and Esposo faced the lethal tandem of 2001 Palarong Pambansa titlists Aaron Morales and Christian Vicente in the semifinals, but emerged victorious against the much younger Tiger Paddlers.
UST copped its lone bronze from Tiger Paddlers Vicente, Morales, Felix Marfori and Zoren Mendiola, who carved a 3-2 win over San Beda College, to wrap up the best-of-five series in the men’s non-rank category.
The tournament’s non-rank division included players who were not yet part of the national team, had never played for the country, and had not been ranked in the Philippine level.
“We lacked in preparation for the event and we didn’t perform our techniques to a higher level of play,” Tiger Paddlers team captain Vicente told the Varsitarian.
In the semifinals match, Mendiola, Vicente and Morales were swept by Nico Cruz, De Leon and Rebo Cruz of the Table Tennis Association North District (TATAND-A), 3-0, last April 1 at the UP CHK gym.
The España-based crew duplicated last year’s third-place showing, a year after its back-to-back title run in 2006 and 2007. Jeremy S. Perey
