𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥

photo by: Krystelle Manlangit

Starting the tournament with the same fire that fueled last year’s championship run, the College of Education Legendary (COEd) Mentors stormed through their opening day, sweeping both of their debut matches against the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM) Wizards and the College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (CFAS) Anglers in the men’s pickleball held at the University Pickleball Court on October 11.

Composed mostly of new faces this season, the Legendary Mentors showed no signs of rust as they asserted dominance early on over last year’s runners-up, the Wizards, claiming a hard-fought 2-1 victory (15-14, 15-10, 8-11), and went on to ride that momentum, outlasting the Anglers in a no breather bout, sealing a clean 3-0 sweep (15-12, 15-9, 11-8).

In a clash between two pickleball powerhouses, COEd paddlers battled through tightly-contested sets with crafty combinations of dink and volley shots, thrilling the crowd, despite CNSM’s Ren Galas mounting a comeback in the third set, ending the match in favor of the men in blue and pink.

Led by team captain Rafi Cañete and teammate Ethan Ledesma, the Legendary Mentors showed no signs of fatigue from their previous matchup as they surged to an early 7-2 lead, in which the Anglers managed to rally up, slowly deadlocking the set at nine but the defending champions held their ground, securing the opener with a 15-12 win.

Riding on the momentum, the COEd paddlers, with Joshua Renz De Anas entering the playing scene, banked on their composure and consistency, extinguishing the Anglers’ hope for a comeback by sealing the next two sets, 15-9, and 11-8, respectively.

Meanwhile, in their bracket fixture, the Legendary Mentors fell short against the College of Engineering Asteegs, bowing 1–2 in sets and ultimately finishing as bracket A’s second seeders.

In an interview, team captain Cañete expressed his delight over their strong showing, “Very happy jud since worth it ang [mga] trainings, ang puyat, gaadto mig Robinsons para magpractice, muuli mi’g 1am. I feel so overwhelmed and happy jud kay nadaog mi”, he reflected.

He added that while he first learned pickleball through a physical education course, this was his first time competing in the Intramural opener, noting that the experience and level of play were on a different level from what he was used to. 

With the wins, the Legendary Mentors, along with the top-seeded Wizards, will await their next challengers from bracket B, set to compete tomorrow morning, before advancing to the crossover matches in the afternoon.