THE SAN BEDA Red Paddlers capped off a dominant run in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100 Table Tennis Tournament with a golden sweep, securing the championship for the Men’s, Women’s, and Juniors divisions at the MVP Gym last November 16.
After a string of first runner-up finishes in the Men’s, Women’s, and Juniors divisions in Season 99, the Mendiola-based squad reclaimed their throne as champions in the centennial iteration of NCAA Table Tennis. Their last triple crown was in 2020, prior to a four-year hiatus.
Despite losing to the Benilde Blazing Paddlers in the elimination rounds, the Men’s squad finally got over their hurdle in their final showdown, overcoming the reigning champions in a 3-1 affair.
In the first singles match, Team Captain Earl Tolentino failed to crack Benilde’s Laudato, losing 6-11, 8-11, 11-7, 2-11 to hand the first win over to the Taft squad.
Unwilling to let the Blazers extend their lead, standout Matt Andrew Ramos went head-to-head against Deocareza, notching a straight-set victory at 11-6, 11-9, and 11-7.
The pairing of Michael Angelo Aguna and John Daryll Nominador steamrolled the Blazing Paddlers’ Arvin and Irvin Garcia, 11-8, 11-5, 12-10, to put San Beda at match point, 2-1.
With the championship at arms’ reach, Ramos once again faced off against Deocareza, snagging the first two sets at 11-5, and 11-6. However, the Blazers quickly retaliated with their own back-to-back sets, 7-11, 5-11.
In a hotly contested fifth set, the contenders Ramos and Deocareza traded blows, with the score closely tied as the game extended past 11 points. Fortunately, Ramos delivered the coup de grace, winning 12-10 in the deciding set to win the championship for the Men’s squad.
Meanwhile the Women’s squad breezed through the University of Perpetual Health System DALTA (UPHSD) Table Tennis Team, 3-0.
Danaia Reblora opened the game with a powerful 11-4 first-set victory over Perpetual’s Lucas. However, the Perpetual-based squad came up with a reprisal of their own, putting the game at an even with a 10-12 comeback. Reblora cleared her remaining sets with 11-7 and 11-9 respectively, securing the first game.
In the second game, Nicole Gaspar was met in a razor thin matchup, edging out Perpetual’s Ablaza in a five-set thriller, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 12-14, and 12-10, to put the Women’s squad ahead by two wins.
Closing out the series, the tandem of Team Captain Jaylyn Valencia and Novy Mae Digamon pair sailed smoothly through the final game, sweeping Perpetual’s Celeste and Divinagracia, 11-7, 11-4, and 11-8, to formalize their Season 100 championship.
Lastly, the Juniors’ division squashed the Perpetual squad with an emphatic 3-0 record, with Wayne Celestra and Keiji Redor delivering the final blow to seal the triple domination.
Ramos was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Men’s tournament, while Reblora earned both Rookie of the Year (ROTY) and MVP honors for the Women’s division. Ace Gumabay replicated the feat by earning ROTY and MVP, while Matthan Jamin was named Freshman of the Year in the Juniors category.
In a post-game interview, Head Coach Steve “Kurt” De Guzman fervently dedicated the Red Paddlers’ win to San Beda, while addressing those who had doubted them, saying “This championship is not for us, this championship is for San Beda, ang daming nagddoubt sa amin, pero ito ay ibinibigay ko sa San Beda. Mahal ko ang San Beda at hindi ako gagawa nang anong mali.”