La Salle to face UP, UST battles Ateneo in UAAP VALORANT Final Four

c/o UAAP

2024 UAAP Esports VALORANT Standings

Group A:

DLSU - 9pts (3-0-0)

Ateneo - 4pts (1-1-1)

AdU - 4pts (1-1-1)

FEU - 0pts (0-0-3)

Group B:

UST - 7pts (2-1-0)

UP - 7pts (2-1-0)

UE - 1pt (0-1-2)

NU - 1pt (0-1-2)

Games Friday at Hyundai Hall, Arete Ateneo

10 a.m. - DLSU vs UP (Semifinals)

1 p.m. - UST vs Ateneo (Semifinals)

4:45 p.m. - Grand Finals

De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas secured the top seeds in their respective groups after going undefeated in the group stages of the 2024 UAAP Esports VALORANT Tournament on Thursday at Dark League Studios in Pasig.

The DLSU Viridis Arcus will face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in one of the crossover semifinals at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, while the Teletigers Esports Club of UST will battle the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the other semifinal matchup set for 1 p.m.

The games will return to Hyundai Hall, Arete Ateneo in Quezon City. Games will be streamed on One Sports' YouTube channel and Pilipinas Live and air on the Varsity Channel and One Sports.

La Salle, represented by Lucas Gruenberg, Miguel Fernando Dy, Aaron Francis Sablay, Gerardo Luis Corpus II, and Lance Elmo Gacayan, dominated Group A with commanding victories over Ateneo, Adamson University, and Far Eastern University. Despite coasting through their first two games, the Viridis Arcus faced a brief scare in Game 2 against Adamson, trailing 5-3. However, they quickly regrouped to secure a decisive 13-8 victory, completing a flawless group stage campaign with three straight series wins.

"At first, ino-overthink namin yung ginagawa ng Adamson. Pero ang naging response namin is magfocus sa kung ano yung nangyayari sa game. We didn't do anything special. Whatever the info is, dun na tayo. Pagod din kami eh. They pulled through naman," explained La Salle coach Xavier Juan of their Game 2 match against Adamson.

Juan also mentioned that the cancellation of games on Day 2 of the competition last Wednesday forced them to prepare for two matches on the same day, adding to the team's challenges.

"Dapat one game per day eh pero naging two. So kailangan namin magprepare ng two games in one day. Wala kami masyadong tulog. Since 12 midnight gising na ako eh. Di pa ako nakakatulog kasi nagpe-prepare kami for both games," Juan said.

"Yung tech issues, normal talaga yan sa esports eh. Di naman ako galit sa tech issues. Ganun naman talaga dito. Hassle lang," he lamented.

Ateneo, composed of Joaquin De Guia, Juancho Garcia, John Michael Amador, Christian Owen, Joaquin Antonio, and Juan Antonio Rosales, clinched the final semifinal spot in Group A, thanks to a superior round differential over Adamson.

UST, bannered by John Matthew Cuaresma, Damien Joshua Santos, Carl Angelo Baldovia, Nathan Kyle Manuta, Angelo Kyan Ysibido, and Erl Adrik Mariano, secured the top seed in Group B through a tiebreaker after tying UP, composed of Lance Veyonce Clemente, Nathan Gabriel Danac, Jose Benedicto Dasas, Rafael Anton Somera, Cyrus Toring, and Paul Julian Uson, in total points and their head-to-head result. Both teams finished with seven points after splitting their matchup.

"Medyo rough yung start namin. Possibly due to scheduling concerns kasi dire-direcho, ang tagal nung mga tech pauses. May mga technical difficulties so hindi namin nalalabas kung paano namin nilalaro yung dapat naming laruin, katulad ng mga pinractice namin. Kasi may mga factors like yung sounds din na naririnig sa may Arete. Hindi siya ganun ka solid kasi in-ear tapos hindi ganun kaganda yung noise cancellation ng headset. Yung lag din," said UST coach Brent Froilan Santiago.

"Hopefully, pagdating ng playoffs, mas makapaglaro kami nang maayos. But team-wise, feel ko nagkakaroon ng malaking pressure kasi dati hindi naman namin nirerepresent yung UST as UST. Pseudo-esports org lang kami dati kasi lumalaban lang kami as Teletigers. Pero now, since UST na yung dinadala nila, mas malaki yung pressure. Mas kinakabahan sila. Kelangan din mas mag-act sila as professional, di na pwede yung katulad dati kasi buong UST na yung dinadala namin," Santiago added.

Due to the connectivity issues that occurred last Wednesday, the UAAP decided to cancel the bronze medal match. Instead, the losing teams in the semifinals will both be awarded bronze medals.

Technical Difficults mar UAAP VALORANT action

c/o UAAP

2024 UAAP Esports VALORANT Standings

Group A:

DLSU 1-0-0 [3pts]

ADU 1-0-0 [3pts]

Ateneo 0-0-1 [0pts]

FEU 0-0-1 [0pts]

Group B:

UP 1-0-0 [3pts]

UST 1-0-0 [3pts]

NU 0-0-1 [0pts]

UE 0-0-1 [0pts]

Games Thursday at Dark League Studios (Closed Door)

11 a.m. - UE vs UP and DLSU vs FEU

1 p.m. - NU vs UST and AdU vs Ateneo

3:30 p.m. - AdU vs DLSU and NU vs UE

5:30 p.m. - Ateneo vs FEU and UST vs UP

The second day of the Valorant portion of the inaugural UAAP was affected by internet connectivity issues, which saw only one completed game for one match during the whole duration at the Hyundai Hall of the Arete building inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus in Quezon City.

Game 2 of the matchup between UST and UP had been halted, with both teams tied at 11. The Fighting Maroons had claimed Game 1 in overtime, 14-12.

eSports Commissioner Monique Monasterio and league operations head Ades Amorato, in coordination with the league's broadcast partner Cignal, announced the postponement of the remaining matches on Wednesday, five hours after the action was halted.

The league has since announced that the remaining group stage matches will be held behind closed doors at the Dark League Studios on Thursday, with no confirmation as to where the playoffs will take place.

Matches will still be shown on the official platforms of One Sports and the UAAP Varsity Channel, as well as Pilipinas Live.

A UP victory over UST in Game 2 would have moved them into solo first in Group B, otherwise, it would keep them in level terms with the Teletigers.

La Salle and Adamson both won their opening set of matches to set the pace in Group A.

La Salle, Ateneo highlight UAAP eSports opener

The inaugural UAAP eSports tournament is set to commence in explosive fashion on Tuesday inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus, with the opening day of the Valorant tournament featuring a matchup of rivals Ateneo and La Salle.

The Green Archers, represented by Viridis Arcus eSports, are expected to be the inaugural favorites, with VAE already securing five championships under their belts.

Serving as their head coach is Xavier Juan, a former student-athlete and captain of VAE who has carved his way onto the professional scene through Oasis Gaming, the side that recently claimed the Predator League Philippines crown..

Even with the awareness that they are the team to watch, Juan believes that their focus lies in training with the end goal of tacking another championship to their tally.

He shares, "On average, we trained six hours a day. We have the best mechanics and raw talent among the other teams. Coming into the tournament, the real enemy would be ourselves."

For Valorant, the eight schools have been split into two groups of four, with Group A comprising of La Salle, Far Eastern University, Adamson University, and Ateneo. Group B has the other four schools: the University of Santo Tomas, the University of the Philippines, National University, and the University of the East.

Teams will play a single round-robin within their group, with matches being comprised of best-of-two series. Going 2-0 in those series will net three points, while splitting them nets a point. Finishing in the top half of each group nets them a spot in the crossover semifinals.

Also set to kick off action on Tuesday is the NBA2K tournament, with a total of 28 matches to be played involving sixteen players split into two groups of eight.

E-Gilas Program head coach Al Timajo, who is also serving as the head coach of the University of the Philippines, thinks that Ateneo and La Salle are the teams to beat, but at the same time, expressed confidence that the Fighting Maroons have what it takes to be contenders.

He says, "In order for us to win, we need to get as many wins as possible. Treat every game as do-or-die. Our primary goal is to secure the top two spots in each bracket. I'm prepping our guys for a UP vs. UP finals—that's our ultimate goal. We hope and pray we can execute what we practice and achieve the outcome we envision."

Nite Alparas, who also coaches E-Gilas, believes that Ateneo, the team he mentors, is the top contender.

He notes, "I believe the team to beat in the UAAP NBA2K is definitely Ateneo. We've got talented and dedicated players who put in the work and preparation for this tournament. Aside from that, we also have the support of the Ateneo community. While we respect all other teams, we are confident that we have what it takes to be on top."

Alparas highlights consistency as the pathway towards success, adding that "We need to be consistent with our performance, ensuring that we bring our A-game every single time. We also need to adapt because we will be facing tough opponents, and being able to adjust on the fly will be key to any challenge."

Valorant matches are going to be played at Hyundai Hall, while the NBA2K games are to be held at the Doreen Fernandez Black Box. Matches are set to kick off at 1130am, with broadcast slated to take place at One Sports' YouTube channel, Pilipinas Live, the Varsity Channel, and One Sports.

UAAP eSports set for launch

Seated L-R: Ateneo Student-Athlete Services Assistant of the Office of College Athletics Trina Aligada, Ateneo UAO Assistant Director for Facilities Jennifer Saret, UAAP Executive Director Rene Saguisag, Jr., Ateneo Athletics Director Emmanuel Fernandez, UAAP eSports Operations Head Ades Amorato, UAAP Season 87 eSports Commissioner Monique Monasterio. Standing are the different coaches and student athletes competing in the inaugural UAAP eSports Tournament.

The much-talked about inaugural edition of eSports in the UAAP will finally take place this coming Tuesday, August 13.

Initially proposed during Season 85 by then-Board of Managing Directors representative Francis Diaz, and originally scheduled to take place at the end of UAAP Season 86, it is now set to kick off things for the hosting of the University of the Philippines in Season 87, with an initial classification of "special events."

Serving as the sub-host for the competition is Ateneo de Manila University, as illustration of their commitment towards innovation and inclusivity.

Ateneo's BoMD representative Emmanuel Fernandez shares, "Through the years, the UAAP has expanded with new events like beach volleyball, poomsae, and 3x3 basketball. This shows that the UAAP will adapt."

Tournament Commissioner Monique Monasterio says, "The goal this season was to be as inclusive as possible and give students many chances to participate, so we decided to include popular titles from different platforms." She adds, "As you know, there are many esports titles, and narrowing it down was definitely a challenge, but the UAAP is committed, so there will be more chances to join for those whose game of choice hasn’t been selected yet."

Matches are set to take place at Areté Ateneo, with three games comprising the inaugural edition: NBA2K24, Valorant, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. All eight member-institutions will be fielding participants in all three games.

The first two games will commence at the Doreen Fernandez Black Box and Hyundai Hall, respectively, while Hyundai Hall will host ML:BB on August 17-21.

NBA2K24 will be a 16-player tournament split into two pools, with each university having two student-athletes. The top two of each pool will advance into the Final Four.

Valorant splits the eight schools into two groups: Group A will have La Salle, FEU, Adamson, and Ateneo. Group B will have UST, UP, NU, and UE.

ML:BB is split into FEU, NU, Ateneo, and DLSU for Group A and UST, UP, UE, and Adamson in Group B.

Both of these game will have a best-of-two format, with three points for a win and a point for a tie. Top two teams will advance into the Final Four, with a best-of-three format in place for all postseason matchups.

With all of this, Monasterio expressed her excitement for the competition: "As someone who’s been a ‘gamer’ since I was a kid, I can hardly believe how much esports and gaming have grown as an industry. I feel incredibly lucky to not only witness it but to be a part of its history and the many ‘firsts’ in the Philippines. The feeling is surreal, and it gives me a lot of joy and hope that this is only the beginning for esports in the UAAP. Expect bigger and better things to come!"

UAAP Executive Director Atty. Rene Saguisag Jr. notes about the tournament's significance. "This event continues the league’s commitment to evolving with the times while also playing a vital role in nurturing future national athletes," he says.

The tournament will be broadcast on these specific platforms: One Sports (both on television and on its YouTube channel), the UAAP Varsity Channel, and Pilipinas Live!.