The UST Tiger Paddlers defended their title in the best-of-three finals of the UAAP Season 85 men’s table tennis tournament at the Makati Coliseum on Saturday.
The Tiger Paddlers swept the Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles, 2-0 and posted 3-0 wins in both games
UST’s duo of Al Sanchez and Prince Garcia swept Ateneo’s Mark Parman and Sean Uy in game 2 to secure their third straight crown, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8.
“Masaya kasi after two years, na-maintain natin yung championship kahit na meron tayong pinagdaanan na pandemic. Yung team mismo is talagang buo pa rin, na talagang idedefend natin yung championship title,” UST head coach Jackson Que told the Varsitarian.
UST team captain Alvin Sevilla trounced Andrew Uy, 11-3, 12-10, 11-8, before Tiger Paddler rookie Eljay Tormis beat Mahendra Cabrido in singles play, 11-8, 11-5, 5-11, 11-5.
The Sanchez-Garcia tandem pounded Ateneo’s Sean Uy and Zherdel Fresco, 11-13, 11-5, 12-10, 11-9, to complete UST’s first sweep.
Tiger Paddler Sevilla outlasted Cabrido in a thriller, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 7-11, 14-12, before UST’s Tormis made quick work of Wrency Abad in singles play, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7.
“From 10-6, deciding match, nahabol pa ako. Pero inisip ko nalang na gawin ko lang yung sinabi ni coach. Gawin ko lang yung setup para makuha ko yung panalong ‘yon,” Sevilla told the Varsitarian.
Coach Que credited the tight bond the Tiger Paddlers have formed over the years for the perfect season.
“‘Yung pagmamahal namin sa isa’t isa as a team, ‘yun talaga yung unang nagbuo sa amin. We are one for UST,” Que said.
In the juniors division, the boys team settled for second place after bowing to defending champions De La Salle-Santiago Zobel School, 0-2.
Sevilla and Tormis took home the Most Valuable Player award and Rookie of the Year plum, respectively, in the men’s division, while Jhiven Clamucha also won the Rookie of the Year honors in the juniors divisions. Bjorn Del B. Deade
