Showcasing great athleticism and grit, Business and Management (BM) Vipers, School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers, Accountancy (ACC) Griffins, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics x School of Education (NSMxSOE) reigned victorious in Palarong Atenista ‘22’s table tennis tournament. 

The 6th floor of Martin Hall was filled with cheers and support from the players’ respective clusters as the athletes displayed their skills during the matches.

Women’s Singles Category

BM Vipers’ Princess Julie Bumatay outlasted SS Dragons Jennie Sevilla in the Table Tennis Women’s Singles Category in a convincing sweep, 11-7, 11-7, 11-4.

Both sides of the court started with strong rallies despite giving out free points from their errors in the early game, forcing a tight match.

Packed with smashes targeted to the side corners partnered with errors from Sevilla, Bumatay pulled away in the first set, eventually mirroring the situation in the following two sets and successfully taking the gold.

Bumatay, a BS Entrepreneurship student, shared that the Vipers set schedules for their practices, which helped them strengthen their teamwork.

“Ang strategy nako sa tournament is nagakalma lang ko kay if aggressive ko mudula basig dili musulod ang mga bola nako so kato, kalma and focus,” she told Atenews, referring to her tactics for this year’s Palaro.

She also extended her gratitude to her cluster, noting that “Grabe kaayo ilang cheering squad. Nakahelp pud siya sa last game nako, na ano pud ko, nabuhayan.”

ACC Griffins came in third in the Women’s Singles Category after defeating SEA Tigers, 12-10, 11-7, 10-12, 10-12, 11-6.

Women’s Doubles Category

SEA Tigers Lee Anne Eman and Lynn Leanne Tambut defeated BM Vipers’ Margarette Fajardo and Jerima Edz Sevilla in Women’s Doubles Category, 12-10, 13-15, 11-6, 6-11, 14-12.

Filled with high tension and adrenaline, the overall match was bombarded with extensions, specifically in sets 1, 2, and 5, brought by both teams’ tenacious determination to take each set.

The Tigers and Vipers exchanged crucial drives to bring momentum on their side, competing in a toe-to-toe match.

Wreaking an upset to the Vipers, Tigers’ Eman and Tambut tandem secured their gold after an error and failed counter-drive from Fajardo and Seviila in the decider set.

Eman, a BS Civil Engineering student, emphasized the importance of teamwork in their strategy.

“Teamwork lang talaga, understanding lang talk lang. Kung anong mali, sige go icorrect lang hindi yung naga away na like, ‘wag yan, wag yan’ pero chill lang talaga dapat,” she said.

During the intense game, the Tiger tandem both agreed that it was nerve-wracking, mainly because many of the people from their cluster supported and cheered for them.

“Thank you so much sa pag support [at] sa pag cheer. God bless us all,” she said to her cluster.

ACC Griffins placed third after beating School of Nursing (SON) Panthers in a commanding sweep, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7.

Men’s Singles And Doubles

Management Accounting student Johnrey Sollesta successfully defeated Hisham Alibasa of the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers during the championship game of the table tennis men’s singles tournament. 

The first two sets were a close fight between the two battling clusters, however, Sollesta still managed to lead with these powerful smashes, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.

Sollesta told Atenews that his eagerness motivated his preparation for the game and that table tennis was a sport that he had always wanted to play for so long.

“Actually, I didn’t strategize prior to the tournament. The whole process of strategizing was during the tournament where I was able to gauge the performance of my opponents,” he added.

Meanwhile, PJ Dumapias and Jethro Lambojon from the NSMxSOE Lions emerged victorious in the table tennis men’s doubles tournament against Aries Sabijon and Giorgio Baysa from the SEA Tigers; 12-10, 11-5, 13-4.

Although the game was a close fight during the first set, the Lions efficiently managed to gain more points during the next sets, leading to their victory.

According to Dumapias, their preparations for the game were challenging because he and Lambojon are used to playing singles instead of doubles.

“To be honest, for two years, nakulong mi sa balay. Actually our play style [is] kind of rusty because kadali lang kaayo mi nakaprepare for the game,” he mentioned.

It was through teamwork and communication that the duo managed to build their synergy throughout the tournament, as shared by Lambojon.

“Even though gamay lang mi [sa among cluster], it’s not strength in numbers, but it’s teamwork. We’re lions so we’re [the] king of the jungle,” Dumapias added.

The replays can be watched via SAMAHAN Palarong Atenista’s Facebook Page.