THE UST Lady Paddlers ended an 11-year title drought while the Tiger Paddlers reclaimed the title they lost last year in the UAAP Season 81 table tennis tournament at the UP College of Human Kinetics gym in Diliman last Oct. 15.
The Lady Paddlers ended a two-year dry spell after defeating four-time defending champion De La Salle University in Game 2, 3-2, for the title.
With the match tied at 2-all, Lady Paddler Shaeena Ronquillo escaped La Salle’s Jhona Marie Go, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, to seal the deal for UST.
“We decided not to follow the lineup of La Salle anymore at naging matapang na lang silang lahat. They exerted effort in every game to claim the crown,” UST coach Lorinda Wadjad told the Varsitarian.
In men’s play, the Tiger Paddlers dethroned defending champion National University (NU) in Game 1, 3-2, before sweeping Game 2, 3-0.
The Danhill Monares-Sean Sabay duo outlasted NU’s Harold Celeridad and Franz Mogol, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, to claim the championship and cap their undefeated campaign.
“Masaya sa pakiramdam dahil sa wakas naibalik na ang korona sa Espana. I built up their confidence para maging matapang sila sa last match. Nakita ko talaga na sabik na manalo lahat ng players,” Tiger Paddlers head coach Jackson Que said.
Team captains Paul Que and Kathrina Tempiatura took home the Most Valuable Player awards in the men’s and women’s division, respectively.
Tiger Paddler John Michael Castro bagged the Rookie of the Year award in the men’s division.
The Lady Paddlers will miss the services of Tempiatura while Que has one more playing year but is still undecided if he will suit up for the Tiger Paddlers next season.
The Tiger Paddlers and the women’s team have the most number of UAAP titles with 27 and 13, respectively.
