Tag: 2006

REIGNING UAAP champs UST Paddlers learned a hard lesson after a head-on collision with seasoned smashers in the First Chief Philippine National Police Cup last April 4-6 at the Mr. Big Shot table courts in Gen. Santos City.

UST’s ace players Michael Paña, Glen Rodriguez, and Reyjea Rosales, finished eighth out of 20 participating teams in the three-day tournament, after losing 0-3 to Cebu-based Huaching Foundation led by UST alums and Philippine team members Harold Baring and Celjun Ortalla in the quarterfinals.

DEFENDING Women’s Basketball League (WBL) champions UST Tigresses-B proved they are not far behind their UAAP champions Team-A counterparts as they made it to the 2006 WBL Finals via a 54-39 lopsided win against the De La Salle Lipa Chevrons. UST was bannered by MJ Cabico and Fatima Villanueva, who pounded on La Salle’s defense with putbacks and fastbreak plays to post a huge 17-point lead last Dec. 3 at the San Beda College Gym in Mendiola.

THE LADY Woodpushers coach Ronald Dableo will soon get the Grand Master (GM) title after he earned the second of the third GM norm in the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) Cup International Open and Chess Challenge last Nov. 23.

“I have worked long and hard for the second GM norm and that is what matters now,” Dableo told the Varsitarian.

GM-candidate Dableo earned his second GM norm after competing with players from four different countries and three GMs.

THE UST Male Tennisters faltered anew and took a 1-2 loss from arch-rival De La Salle University, placing second in the 2006 Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open Men’s Inter-College Tennis championship last Nov. 26 at the PCA Covered Court.

Stung by an early 3-10 loss in the first set, the Male Tennisters rode on the middle-game exploits of heavy hitters Maclean Barraquias and Alexander Diego to take a 6-3 lead in the second set.

THE UST Lady Spikers easily overcame first-day jitters in their thrilling 21-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-19, UAAP opening victory against the Adamson University Lady Falcons last Dec. 3 at the College of Human Kinetics Gym of the University of the Philippines.

The Lady Spikers were lethargic in the first set blocking only one shot and committing 13 errors, three after when the score was tied at 20 apiece. UST held an early lead, 9-6, but was outscored by Adamson, 12-19, afterwards.

SHOULD the UST Tracksters play at the same level as they did at the University Games, where the the male Tracksters broke seven records and won 13 medals, held at the University of Saint La Salle- Bacolod Field, they have a good chance at claiming the overall title at this year’s UAAP Athletics competition on Dec. 14-17 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum Field.

“I expect their play to be at par with their showing at the Unigames,” UST Athletics coach Manny Calipes told the Varsitarian. “Also, I expect them to break some records just as they did last year.”

ONE STEP backward, two steps forward.

And the ploy worked as the UST Golden Booters, overcoming a shaky first round campaign, rode on an eight-game winning splurge to land fourth place overall in the 4th Ang Liga Football Cup.

Despite missing the services of its top players due to conflicting final examination schedules in their 0-3 loss against San Beda College last Oct. 11, UST pummeled all its opponents with an average margin of 2.44 points a game en route to a 13-6-1 win-loss-draw slate, a marked improvement form its 4-5-1 record back in the first round.

NOT EVEN a freak loss could dampen the UST Lady Booters’ fighting spirit.

Instead of licking their wounds, the Lady Booters turned their dismay into instant motivation as they posted a ruthless 13-0 thumping of the hapless San Beda Collage (SBC) team to remain unscathed in the inaugural staging of the Philippine Football Federation (PFF)-Ang Liga Filipina Football Cup last Nov. 9 at the UST football field.

IF ITS Interclub Team Challenge runner-up finish were any indication, UST’s men fencing team is a serious contender ina this year’s UAAP season. Pitted against defending UAAP champion University of the East at the Philsports Arena last Oct. 19, UST took a commanding 40-33 lead before UE changed back to score a tie at 58 as time ran out.

“It was a good fight because though they (UST) were up against tough opponents, they gave UE a run for its money but just fell short in the end,” foil division coach Bienvenido Orlanes told the Varsitarian.

UST is still the team to beat this Season 69.

After an exhilarating first-semester UAAP wars, UST is again leading the pack with eight titles for a whopping 162 points. A distant second is University of the Philippines with 126 points and Ateneo de Manila University with 98 points.

“Based on the excellent performance of the teams for the first semester, I think we are again on our way to clinching our 34th UAAP General Championship,” Institute of Physical Education and Athletics moderator Felix Michael Silbor told the Varsitarian.