University of the East (UE) entered the 2024 UAAP Esports Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament as one of the lower-ranked teams.
However, the Zenith Warriors showcased their determination with a spectacular performance, making history in the process.
The Zenith Warriors reserved their best for the finals, where they delivered a stunning performance against erstwhile-undefeated University of Santo Tomas (UST) Teletigers Esports Club. They secured a 2-0 victory on Wednesday at Hyundai Hall, Arete Ateneo in Quezon City.
That wrapped up the league’s inaugural Esports tournament, where Ateneo earlier ruled the NBA2K24 while De La Salle topped VALORANT.
Despite a rocky start in the group stages, UE’s playing coach, Arohn Jen Cabigting, expressed confidence, especially during the championship match.
“Very confident kami na kaya namin ang UST, specially nung group stages. Marami lang talaga kaming mga miscommunication na kinailangan namin ayusin. Hindi rin overconfident kasi alam namin kung gaano sila kagaling, alam namin yung capabilities nila. Nagfocus lang kami sa alam naming way kung pano manalo,” said Cabigting, a 21-year-old civil engineering student.
Head coach Jon Benedict Sampang, a freshman BS IT student at UE, was overcome with emotion following the tournament’s dramatic ups and downs.
“Sobrang sarap sa feeling kasi nareunite kami pong players saka coach sa team. Di ko na talaga maexplain yung nararamdaman ko. Naiyak na lang talaga ako,” he shared.
In Game 1, Ariel Dolar (Lancelot) turned the match in UE’s favor by outplaying UST’s Wayne Valentino (Roger).
Dolar shut down Valentino’s maniac killing streak and secured the 15th-minute lord. John Lawrence Chavez (Faramis) then contributed two kills in the subsequent team fight, leading to a game-winning 4-1 trade and a 1-0 lead for UE.
UE maintained their precision in Game 2, capitalizing on UST’s risky 12th-minute turret siege. The resulting 3-0 wipe, with kills from Dolar, Chavez, and Ryan-Ver Federizo, proved decisive.
The Zenith Warriors then executed a base turret siege in the bottom lane during the next sequence, securing the championship.
Chavez, who was named MVP of Game 1, was also honored as the Chowking Kakaibang Player of the Tournament.
“Very proud po yung teammates ko sa pagka-MVP ko. Nagkakaron kami actually ng joke within the team kung sino yung makakakuha ng MVP. Pero nagulat ako. Di ko talaga siya inaasahan na magiging MVP ako,” said Chavez, a third-year tourism student at UE.
UE’s journey to victory was marked by resilience.
After an opening 2-0 loss to the Teletigers, the Zenith Warriors were on the brink of elimination in the group stage. They rebounded by defeating the Adamson University Falcons and delivering a crucial performance to secure a 1-1 split with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, earning the last playoff spot.
In the semifinals, UE, also represented by John Zel Bartolo and Elijah Vilaray, overcame a tough series against top-seeded Far Eastern University. By employing clever pocket picks, they achieved a 2-1 reverse sweep to reach the finals.
UST, consisting of Arjohn Roxas, Benjamin Lukban, Rammuell Belga, Angel Saliuan, and Jose Odfina, had an impressive run, finishing the group stage with a perfect 6-0 record. The Teletigers continued their dominance with a 2-0 sweep of National University in the semifinals.
In the other events, Ateneo de Manila University’s Paolo Medina clinched the NBA2K crown last week, followed by De La Salle University’s undefeated run to the title in the VALORANT tournament, which concluded on Friday.
The Teletigers qualified for the playoffs in all three tournaments, finishing with two silver medals and one bronze.
The Tamaraws Esports, represented by Benedict Ablanida, Jordan Eder, Dashmielle Farin, Kevin Reyes, Micole Wage, and Paolo Sanchez, also earned bronze medals in the UAAP Esports ML:BB tournament, alongside National University.
The Bulldogs were led by Rendell Bangsal, Harold Blas, John Ver Gerez, Angel Christian Ico, Robby Miguel Martin, and John Prince Paculan.
