THE UST Paddlers missed a shot at the crown after stumbling against the third-seeded University of the Philippines in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 77 table tennis tournament last Oct. 1 at the Blue Eagle Gym in Ateneo de Manila University.
The Tiger Paddlers settled for third place after squandering their twice-to-beat advantage against the Maroons in the semifinals, losing 1-3 and 2-3, in the first and second matches, respectively.
In the knockout match, the UST duo of Alberto Bazar and Norielle Pantoja steered the Tiger Paddlers to a 2-1 lead after a convincing 3-1 win over their UP counterparts.
But the resilient Maroons mounted a comeback with back-to-back victories in the fourth and fifth matches to dispatch the UST squad and enter the finals.
"The team did their best, they really wanted to win, but the breaks of the game didn't go our way," Tiger Paddler head coach Jackson Que said.
Despite the loss, Que believes the team will return strong next season as the Tiger Paddlers will maintain an intact lineup.
Meanwhile, the Lady Paddlers landed in fourth place after suffering a tough 2-3 loss against the defending champions UP in their semifinals match.
UST's Celinder Montes managed to forge a deciding fifth match after escaping Lusha Maderal with a 3-2 victory.
However, V Lupeba could not find her rhythm and failed to stage an upset after getting swept by Noriko Nichino in the decider.
"Yung sa last game, yung service at offense niya [V Lupeba], abang na abang na ng kalaban," head coach Lori Wadjad said. "UST dapat ang nag-ooffense pero nahirapan talaga siya sa depensa ng UP." Josiah Darren G. Saynes
