In the singles category, the Accountancy (ACC) Griffins redeemed their last year’s silver stint by capturing the gold against the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers in women’s table tennis, while the Natural Science and Mathematics (NSM) Falcons outplayed the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers in the doubles category. 

For the singles, ACC Griffins’ Jillian Bernadette Combong was matched against SON Panthers’ Madison Kate De Castro to battle it out for the chance to take home the trophy. 

In the first set, an early back-to-back smash from ACC Griffins’ Combong set the tone for a clean win, 11-5; however, the momentum was cut short as SON Panthers’ De Castro seized the second set to tie the game, 11-7. 

Tied at one set each, a crucial third set takes place, where whoever secures the set will determine the tempo of the fourth set game point, and possibly the fifth set if the game extends. 

The third set started slowly, but immediately snowballed in favor of the Panther as she capitalized on the Griffins’ misplays, leading to the Panther’s win, 11-5. 

The fourth set saw ACC Griffins’ Combong take an early lead, 7-5, but was immediately caught up by De Castro with a powerful smash that tied the set, which triggered a timeout on the Griffins’ side.

However, after the timeout, the once noticeably tense ACC Griffins’ Combong calmed down and took control of the game, 11-8. 

Looking back at the game, Combong revealed that the pressure from her teammates, varsity coaches, and the clusters kept her focus during the intense part of the game. 

“Grabe iyong pressure sa akin kasi ang varsity ang nagko-coach. Di ko alam ano ang pakinggan, but actually I’m very happy,” she shared. 

For the fifth set, Combong dominated with a series of smashes, yet it was a costly misplay from De Castro that became the nail in the coffin that won the match and handed the championship to the other side, 11-4.

Despite the injury, she highlighted the team’s support, which gave her the motivation that proved crucial in winning the game, humorously attributing it to the “pressure” her coaches provided. 

“Last Wednesday na sprain ako, and I didn’t expect na maka-recover ako. Kahapon, masakit masyado ang paa ko, pero siguro sa pressure na yun, na-okay na ang paa ko,” she jokingly stated. 

NSM Falcons seize gold against SEA Tigers in doubles category

In the doubles category, NSM Falcons’ Yornyll Bridgette Balaud and Celine Joyce De Las Llagas proved to be the better duo against SEA Tigers’ Angel Myrcky Villablanca and Darielle Oli. 

In the first set, the game was evenly tied between the back-and-forth of NSM Falcons’ Balaud and SEA Tigers’ Villablanca, but the passionate rallies from the Falcons created a commanding gap that secured the win. 

In the second set, played similarly to the first, the game remained close with both teams tied 5-5. As the second half progressed, it was always the NSM Falcons duo who closed out the game, 11-6. 

In the match point, the game moved at a breakneck pace in favor of the NSM Falcons, 8-4, but with misplays from their side, the SEA Tigers caught up.

Still, the NSM Falcons’ De Las Llagas’ crucial serve awarded them the championship. 

NSM Falcons’ Balaud attributed their victory to their long-standing chemistry, dating back to their last championship two years ago, which gave them an advantage over other duos in the tournament. 

“We played two years ago and nag-champion din kami… aside from sanay na kami sa isa’t isa because we have prior experiences, the practice leading to Palaro just built up to more chemistry.”

De Las Llagas also expressed their joy as they brought back the table tennis doubles’ gold to NSM, which had been held straight for three years until their silver stint last year. 

“It’s been a really long day of games, we are just happy to bring back the gold back to NSM, since last year we took first runner-up,” she mentioned. 

In the singles category, SON Panthers secured the silver medal, while the SEA Tigers captured bronze. In doubles, the SEA Tigers bagged silver, while the School of Business and Management (B&M) Vipers brought home bronze.