Red Lawnnetters enter Season 85 final four

THE UNIVERSITY of the East (UE) Red Lawnnetters won the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 Men’s Tennis event but were unableto advance to the finals after their heartbreaking loss against Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).

With a 9-2 record, the Recto-based team advanced to the final four and was tied with three other schools at the end of the elimination.

To break the quadruple tie, the Red Lawnnetters faced the Ateneo de Manila University but failed to earn their twice-to-beat advantage, 2-3, last April 19.

The team bid farewell to their chance to fight for the title as they tasted a 1-4 defeat to the Blue Eagles in their semifinal matchup.

Jarrel Edanga from the singles division defeated his Blue Eagles counterpart Diego Dayrit in straight sets, 7-5, 6-0, and was the lone win for the Red Warriors in the controversial clash.

Marc Nicole Suson suffered a defeat to Jed Olivares, 6-7, 3-6, while Norman Gaspar succumbed to Gab Tiamson, 4-6, 3-6.

In the doubles division, the two duos of UE came close to winning, with Prince Bo Lastimosa and Dawson Ormoc struggling in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 4-5, while Rastly John Baje and Ryle Singson fought hard but were defeated, 6-7, 6-7.

Bangayan, on the other hand, made a remarkable record as a spiker as she reached a career-high 27 points when the team fought against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons. The team needed her the most when Janeca Janine Lana sustained a wrist injury, so she delivered for the Rect-based squad. Despite being a reserved player in the 84th season, Bangayan still managed to get out of her shell and exhibit such a performance.

During the pre-season tournament, Cepada and Bangayan were part of the UE ManilaCherrylume Lady Warriors, who were hailed as the first runners-up in the Women’s Division of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Champions League in November 2022 at the PhilSports Arena, Pasig City.

The Bangayan-Cepada rookie combo finished the tournament ranked sixth and seventh best opposite spikers, with 115 and 113 statistical points, respectively.

Cepada is a BSBA Financial Management freshman, while Bangayan takes up BSBA Marketing Management as a sophomore. Prior to their stint with the Lady Warriors, they were also known for being University of Santo Tomas (UST) high school standouts.