THE SAN BEDA Red Smashers ended their 4th Philippine Inter-Collegiate Badminton Championships (PICB) campaign with a 2nd runner-up finish in the three-day event held last September 5-7 at the MIA Badminton Center in Pasay City.
Round 1
Opening their 4th PICB campaign, the Red Smashers faced off against the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) Badminton Team Red Fox Shuttlers on the first day.
In the Men’s division, John Razzel Ching toppled EARIST with a 21-4, 21-8 drubbing. The Red Smashers duo of Joaquin Pollentes and Laurence Alejo made light work of the EARIST pairing of Albar and Morga with a 21-4, 21-17 victory.
The Women’s division saw Meleody Galicia come out victorious with a 21-9, 21-14 in the singles category. The Red Smashers pairing of Johnelle Irish-Anne Red and Angel Uriel Zamora won in a dominating, 21-8, 21-7 victory against the Red Fox Shuttlers pairing of Calumpad and Mira.
The mixed doubles category saw Krenz Valeña of the Men’s team and Jamilla Aliyah Lagradante of the Women’s team complete the 5-0 Round 1 sweep of Earist with a 21-3, 21-6 victory over Formalejo and Moris of EARIST.
Round 2
The second round, held later that day, saw the Red Samshers face the Rizal Technological University (RTU) Badminton Team.
In the Men’s division, Jan Renzo Barlinan of the Red Samshers secured the first victory of the round against RTU’s De Leon with a game score of 21-14, 21-8. Pollentes and Alejo dominated the Men’s doubles match against Patungan and Elunal of RTU, emerging victorious with a score of 21-4, 21-8.
The Red Smashers fielded Cristyn Yrbien Magbitang for the singles match of the Women’s division against Ardez of RTU. Magbitang took command of the game with a 21-12, 21-6 victory. Red and Zamora once again took part in the Women’s doubles category; the pair won the contest with a game score of 21-11, 21-8.
For the mixed doubles category, the Red Smashers pairing of Adrien Villegas of the Men’s team and Lharrene Sales of the Women’s team completed the 5-0 second round sweep of RTU with a 21-9, 21-6 victory over the duo of Rejuo and Orhen.
Round 3
During the third round held on the second day, the Red Smashers face head on with the Adamson University (ADU) Badminton Team.
Ching of the Red Smashers Men’s team won the Men’s singles contest with a 21-10, 21-11 victory over Demaano of Adamson. Pollentes and Alejo took a grinded-out victory over Badang and Cabanducos of ADU in the Men’s doubles contest with a game score of 23-21, 21-19.
Galicia of the Women’s team fell short in her singles match against Adamson’s Colao, dropping the close match with a score of 18-21, 17-21. Red and Zamora extended the lead of the Red Smashers in the third round with a 21-16, 21-11 victory over the Adamson duo of Ondol and Casaje.
The mixed doubles contest consisted of the same pairing as the first round for the Red Smashers. Valeña and Lagradante dropped the match against Floria and Saturinas of Adamson with a score of 18-21, 16-21. Despite suffering their first match-up losses in the tournament, the San Beda Red Smashers booked their spot in the semi-finals by topping the group with a 3-2 third-round victory over ADU.
Semi-finals
The Red Smashers faced the University of the Philippines (UP) Maroon Smashers in the semi-finals contest of the 4th PICB. The contest saw collegiate champions face off, as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 100 Women’s Badminton Tournament champions go head-to-head against the Women’s champions of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).
Starting off with the Men’s Division, Ching suffered his first defeat of the tournament at the hands of Llanes of the Maroon Smashers with a score of 17-21, 7-21. The Men’s duo of Polletes and Alejo evened up the contest with a 21-9, 21-17 victory over the UP duo of Abinales and Bernal.
The Women’s division contests saw Magbitang suffer a huge defeat against Fuggan of UP with a game score of 7-21, 9-21. Red and Zamora of the Red Smashers failed to even up the contest, suffering a 19-21, 13-21 defeat against De Leon and Ramos of the Maroon Smashers.
The 1-3 semi-finals score of the Red Smashers ended their 4th PICB campaign as podium finishers. The Red Smashers secured the 2nd-runner-up spot along with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tiger Shuttlers.
Rounding off the podium spots are the UP Maroon Smashers, who finished the tournament in the 1st-runner-up position, while the Ateneo Blue Eagles emerged as champions.