Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons’ Jannica Kryz Calero and Social Sciences (SS) Dragons’ Samantha David and Angel Mae Demetillo snatched gold in the singles and doubles category of the Palarong Atenista 2026 women’s badminton tournament.

In the singles category, CS Chameleons’ Calero brought the cluster’s first women’s badminton championship since 2023 when she defeated the School of Nursing (SON) Panthers’ Anjelika Mijares, 2-0.

The Chameleon dominated the game early on in the first set, taking advantage of drop shots in between rallies to catch the Panther off guard.

Mijares slowly caught up as Calero inched closer to 21 points, but ultimately handed the Chameleon the win in the first set, 21-14, when she missed the strike.

In the second set, the Panther took the upper hand with her impeccable court coverage despite the Chameleon’s deliberate criss-cross shots.

However, Calero closed the gap halfway through at 14 points after wearing her opponent out, breaking Mijares’ momentum to eventually win the set, 21-17.

In an interview with Atenews, Calero revealed that she lost to Mijares in an earlier round-robin match, despite a winning streak against players from other clusters.

“During the round robin… ang na-notice ko sa mga kalaban ko is, ‘I think makaya ko man.’ Pero when naabot dun sa Nursing, dun ako nag-struggle to find kung saan ko siya pwede ma-counter since very similar ang play style namin.”

With this, she focused on her opponent’s weakness to redeem herself in the finals.

“Gi-consistently ko na lang put effort sa shots ko sa places na mahirapan siya kuha. Na-feel ko na yung napagod na si ate, since parang before, nung first game namin, parang nadalian siya magbalik sa shots niya and maganda din ang pagbalik niya. So sa finals kay nahirapan na siya mag-keep up.”

Powering through the doubles category, the Social Sciences (SS) Dragons struggled to gain leverage against the Accountancy (ACC) Griffins during the first half as they exchanged single points at the onset of the first set, 2-2.

Amid blistering exchanges, SS Dragons David and Demetillo pulled ahead of their opponents as they maintained their strong smashes grappled with effective communication.

“Naga-doubt jud ko nga if mapildi mi kay dili kayko hawd… Maka-feel pud kog pressure sa akong kauban…among strategy lang pud kay i-communicate lang jud namo ang isa’t isa if… lisud na, kung asa ang murag dili kaayo hiyang sa kalaban na palo tapos… Communication is the key lang jud if magdula,” Demitillo remarked.

The second set saw a dramatic change as the Griffins displayed fierce, clear shots, shutting down the Dragons with a 21-18 court domination. 

Furious rallies transpired during the third set as the Dragons deprived the Griffins of any chances to score a point, drawing a large margin of 14-4.

As the Dragons became familiar with the Griffins’ play, the two players adjusted their strategy and served drop shots that the Griffins struggled to handle, 21-11. 

The Dragons secured the win after their swift smashes, while the Griffins failed to keep up at the final score of 2-1.

David recalled her past experiences with the same opponent as she dedicates the win to herself, to God, and the Social Sciences Cluster as a whole.

“I dedicate this win to myself, my cluster… And also, thank you na lang pud ko kay God kay wala ko nag-expect nga madaog mi. Among nakalaban sa last game is nakadula na nako sa DACS and kabalo ko nga hawd jud… na-overwhelm lang ko.”

The 2026 Palarong Atenista women’s badminton matches were held at M2 Badminton Center, Obrero, last September 27.