By Dugout Philippines
MANILA--De La Salle completed an unbeaten season in the women's division by sweeping Far Eastern University in the Finals of the UAAP table tennis tournament at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday.
The thrice-to-beat Archers blanked the Lady Tamaraws, 3-0, in the opener before clinching their second straight crown with a 3-1 victory in Game 2.
Winning its fourth championship overall, La Salle gave national team standout Ian Lariba a grand send off to her remarkable collegiate career.
Lariba took home her third MVP award as she credited her teammates for sustaining the Lady Archers' dominance in the sport.
"Sobrang overwhelming and happy kasi for five years minsan lang na mangyari na back-to-back women's champions ang La Salle table tennis," said the pretty Lariba.
"Lahat ng nasa line-up, nagtiyaga at nagsipag talaga. Our mindset is one game at a time. We did not too much forward looking and we took it step by step. We know that we will go a lot of different challenges," she added.
Emy Rose Dael, who defeated Rose Fadol in the third singles, 11-7, 6-9, 11-9, 7-9, 11-9 that gave the Lady Archers the victory, was named the Rookie of the Year.
FEU made it to the Finals after edging University of Santo Tomas, 3-1, in the do-or-die second step-ladder duel Wednesday.
De La Salle-Zobel, meanwhile, made history in the juniors division, by becoming the league's first-ever girls champions.
The Junior Lady Archers swept University of the East in the best-of-three series, winning via a 3-2 scoreline in both matches.
La Salle-Zobel's Phoebe Jumamoy bagged the tournament MVP honors while UE's Sharlina Andino captured the Rookie of the Year plum.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @DugoutPH
.jpg)
