The badminton team fell to the Aragon Dons 20-10 on Thursday afternoon. The team’s senior night celebration was filled with snacks, gifts, and spirit, as their six seniors were awarded gifts and given posters. Their coach gave individual speeches commemorating and complimenting the seniors.
“Everyone was excited and happy at the beginning,” sophomore Elliott Chi said. “The food was incredible, and the celebration was amazing.”
After the initial greeting, the teams started their lineup calls, and the Bears, full of excitement and energy, were ready to start their matches. Third-seeded boys singles Manu Srinivasan was first off the court, losing 21-2, 21-11. His opponent’s all-court skills were overpowering as he was able to return almost every hit, never giving Srinivasan a chance on offense.
First-seeded boys singles sophomore Jack Trevor had a closer game due to his consistent crossnets. His opponents’ lightning-fast smashes turned the tide in the Dons’ favor, ending the match 21-11, 21-12. First seeded girls singles senior Viet-Tran Do, however, despite closely losing the first set, won the second and third set with pinpoint precision and accuracy, closing with a final score of 19-21, 21-15, and 21-15.
“To be honest. I was pretty scared, I was a bit shaky, and I didn’t play my best in the beginning,” Trevor said. “I thought [in the] second set, I played pretty well.”
On the mixed doubles side, third-seeded freshmen Alexander Erlebacher and Diana Wang were outmatched 21-13, 21-16. Their consistent rallies were not enough to break their opponent’s precise coordination and placement. Second-seeded seniors Nicholas Chan and Olivia Tantisira met a similar fate due to their opponents’ calculated positioning and accuracy, falling 21-14, 21-17.
Despite many early losses, second-seeded girls singles sophomore Stella Huang pulled off a quick and decisive win. The duo utilized consistent rallies and powerful smashes, and this offensive run led them to 21-13, 21-11 victory. Second-seeded girls doubles seniors Annika Furukawa and Jenna Lee* had a close first set, conceding 21-18. Their opponents, using their momentum from their initial win, swept the second set 21-8.
Boys doubles couldn’t find the same success, with third-seeded juniors Caleb Swartzberg and Dylan Chou losing 21-11, 21-10 due to their opponents’ overpowering smashes. Second-seeded senior Adam Erlebacher and Chi had a closer match attributed to their good teamwork. Despite this, they still were beaten 21-12, 21-13 by their opponents’ consistent and powerful hits.
“I was trying to push to the back court,” Chi said. “But that didn’t really end well, because I kept on pushing a little bit too far. Also, their smashes were really strong.”
Searching for redemption, girls doubles performed much better with first-seeded girls doubles sophomore Yimeng Cai* and junior Amy Tram sweeping 21-13, 21-15 through masterful coordination and clean smashes. Third-seeded girls doubles freshman Alexandra Tong and sophomore Khanya Mtwa had a closer match, losing the first set 21-16, but coming back to win 21-15 and 21-14 in the second and third sets with dominant offensive rallies.
Continuing this momentum, third-seeded girls singles junior Kaya Lam used accurate and short over-the-net rallies, contributing to her clean 21-13, 21-13 win. However, second-seeded boys singles freshman Joshua Luo conceded 21-16, 21-16 due to nimble and accurate smashes by his opponent, despite consistent rallies.
Finishing off the match was first-seeded boys doubles sophomore Jordan Lee and freshman Caleb Chen, who lost 21-13, 21-16 despite their impressive drop shots.
“I think I had some pretty good saves,” Chen said. “But overall, I think I could do much better. Our opponents didn’t let us go on offense a lot of the time.”
The Bears will travel to face off against the San Mateo Bearcats on Tuesday at 4:00 P.M.
*Yimeng Cai and Jenna Lee are journalists for the M-A Chronicle.
