2013 Universiade gives UC players net lessons in table tennis

THEY may have failed to snag a gold medal in the recent 2013 Universiade in Kazan, Russia, but the table netters from the University of Cebu (UC) are sure the huge exposure will prepare them for tougher meets in the future.

Val Stephen Jaca and Jerny Kaye Pepito who were eliminated in the early rounds of the table tennis competition still kept their heads up and thanked everyone who supported them and gave them the opportunity to play against the world’s best paddlers from China, Germany and Egypt.

According to Jaca, he and Pepito knew that they would be facing tough competition after they were bracketed along with China, Germany and Egypt.

Pepito managed to win against a player from South Africa in the preliminary round but bowed to bets from China, Germany and Egypt.

UC with Jaca and Pepito at the helm, topped last year’s Philippine National Open Table Tennis Tournament at the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman and the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) National Games giving them the chance to represent the country in the Universiade.

“We are still proud of ourselves because it’s a rare chance to compete against some of the world ranked table tennis players, I think the exposure will surely give us more confidence in our future competitions,” said Jaca.

“They were so good but we gave our all, what’s important is that we fought to the last point and we gave them a good match. It was our first time, we hope we can compete again abroad next time,” added Jaca.

The team headed by International Table Tennis Federation licensed coach Jessica Honoridez together with other players are set to compete in the annual Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc,(CESAFI) set this August and in the Jawad Cup. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL