DLS-CSB Men's Team, 4-PEAT NCAA Table Tennis Champion. NASHSPINNER Hits 4TH Straight MVP Award

De La Salle-College of St. Benilde
The NCAA Season 93 Table Tennis Men's Team Champions.
L-R: Bro. Dennis Magbanua , Vince Sy, Yuta Tortosa, Joshua Padilla,
Serknight Benoya, Ryan Rodney Jacolo, Stephen Antiporda,
Coach Bong Palermo, Coach Susan Tayag, Coach Kenneth Cruz,
ManCom Raymond Castellano and Sports Director Stephen Fernandez.
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NASHSPINNER is powered by

JOOLA Rosskopf Force Blade
and JOOLA Rhyzm Rubbers

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Manila, PHI — The defending champion De La Salle-College of St. Benilde again proved to be indestructible at the NCAA Season 93 Table Tennis Championships held at the Harrison Plaza from September 10-20, 2017.

For the 4th straight year, NASHSPINNER (Most Valuable Player), and Coach Bong Palermo (Best Coach), powered the CSB paddlers to victory.

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The Men's Team Event Finals:
Benilde x Letran 
It was a 3 out of 5 matches Team Event format.

In Match #1 (Singles), it was NASHSPINNER (CSB) against GAPAS (CSJL). It was an easy 3-1 victory for CSB.

There was a minor commotion early in the game when the Letran coach protested an umpire who gracefully inhibited himself from the match. A trivial delay which stopped the game, and bored the audience, for a few minutes. The umpire did the honorable thing in the exercise of proper ethics. The match went on smoothly.

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Match #2 (Singles) between BENOYA (CSB) and MAÑAGO (CSJL) was the hair-raiser. MAÑAGO went on a jackrabbit start and, in a butt of an eyelash, was up 2-0. The CSB leftie was miserable. Nothing was connecting. His FH attacks were out and he was losing when rallies transition into BH drilling. The Letran Knight was superb in both offense and defense. Even his fast, long service was impeccable. Everything seemed dark for the Blazer.

In the 3rd set, while fighting tooth and nail, BENOYA was barely keeping up and was just hanging on to dear life. Then, miraculously, in the endgame he got a deuce which sparked his comeback. The brave Blazer was quick to snatch the opportunity. He rained FH topspins on MAÑAGO and it started connecting where it counted the most. BENOYA got the set and closed the gap at 2-1.

Now having the momentum, BENOYA turned the tables on MAÑAGO, quickly got him on the defensive and easily took the 4th set. Just as fast as they got ahead, the Knights were suddenly looking at an even 2-2 match. That stunned the Letran bench which turned eeriely quiet and in total disarray.

The Letran Knight seemed to have recovered in the deciding 5th set. They were toe-to-toe up to the midgame when MAÑAGO dashed to 10-7. Those 3 match points, however, did not faze BENOYA a bit. Instead, he mounted an all out attack, again got a deuce, and walloped Letran with a 'BIG LEFT' for the winner. The Benilde bench erupted into a frenzy!

A big come-from-behind victory is always heady. Twice Benilde stared at the eyes of defeat but Letran failed to cash in on it. Perhaps, it was because the Blazer BENOYA never gave up, never stopped believing in his main weapon — his leftie FH topspin —  which got the Knight cornered in the endgame.

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Match #3: Doubles. The Blazers tandem was routed by the Knights 0-3. The Letran pair of an attacker and a chopper did well against a struggling Benilde duo who trailed most of the way and never got a chance to threaten the competition.

In the team standing, Benilde was up 2-1.

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Match #4 (Singles). NASHSPINNER (CSB) put away Letran in 3 straight sets. The Letran Knight MAÑAGO, still reeling from that heartbreaker defeat earlier couldn't stop NASHSPINNER from getting the 3rd win and keeping the Championship Crown for the Blazers.

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Acknowledgment
The two-week tournament ran smoothly. A great job by the organizing committee headed by Mr. Charlie Lim who was always there and on top of every situation during the tournament. Congratulations! 

This year's NCAA was hosted by Collegio de San Sebastian - Recoletos.

TABLE TENNIS: THE MAKATI MAYOR'S CUP IS BACK. NASHSPINNER GETS SILVER.

The Men's Open Event winners.
L-R: F. Bendebel (Bronze), Paul Que (Bronze), Jan Nayre (Gold) and Nashspinner (Silver).

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NASHSPINNER is powered by

JOOLA Rosskopf Force Blade

and JOOLA Rhyzm Rubbers

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MAKATI, PHILS — The tournament that has become a big part of the Philippine Table Tennis community is back after almost 2 years of vacation. According to the tournament's brain, Coach Gigi Aguinalde, more than 800 participants registered in the recent 3-day event from March 10-12, 2017.

Congratulations on the successful comeback!


New Generation Players
The tournament's top event, Men's Open Event turned out to be a green pasture. Philippine Team youngsters Jan Nayre (Huaching) and Ryan Rodney Jacolo (TATAND/JOOLA) won the Gold and Silver respectively. Bronze Medalists were college varsity players F. Bendebel (Adamson U) and P. Que (UST).

Olympian Ian Lariba (TATAND) competed in the Women's Open event.


The Old Guards
Congratulations to CSB Coach Bong Palermo for bagging multiple awards. The Gold for the Mens 50 and above & the Bronze for Men's Non-rank events.

It was also good to see one of the tourmanent's pioneer participants coming back as well after a number of years absence. PTTF head Mr. Ting Ledesma led the Ateneo University contingent.


Our Special Corner 
Special mention goes to Kate Lynn Cruz (TATAND), winner of the G10 Event. We saw this kid slugging it out w/ older girls in higher age brackets. Our favorite was when she gave one of the Philippine Junior Team Member "the scare" in one of their matches.

This skinny 8-year old girl, well maybe 9 but she looks more 8 than 9, has a lot of things going for her. We know she has good ponger blood in her, both her parents are Table Tennis trainers. She has a mean finishing BH coming after a flurry of FH spins. And, she belongs to a great team that takes good care of budding Table Tennis talents.

The Binay Cup Baby Challenge comes alive!

So she got the first step up the ladder. We are all eyes and ears. Let's see what happens....

We All Missed This Tournament!

The Binay Cup, last played in the 2nd Quarter of 2015, previously peaked with more than 1,000 participants played in 3 days over 23 or more tables located in 2 floors inside the Makati Coliseum.

We missed the Makati Coliseum as well. Those familiar bleacher seats we made home during the day-long vigil cheering for our sons and daughters fighting their hearts out.

Everybody has a favorite niche in the stadium. We even saw the same faces in the same places! It was nostalgic!

There are some differences in the stadium now from 2 years ago but we do appreciate the array of cctv cams along the outer corridors.

Tournament head Coach Gigi Aguinalde was ably supported upfront by Makati Panthers Vincent & Arlene Arnibal and Erwin Reyes among others.