State qualifiers return for upcoming season

Senior Christina Li demonstrates smashes and footwork drills on Feb. 14 in the fieldhouse, where the badminton team usually practices. Li and her doubles partner, junior Ally Rosenbaum, qualified for state last year, and Li said she hopes to do the same this year. Photo by Hope Mailing

After both coming in second place at sectionals in the singles bracket and qualifying for the state tournament, senior Jiayi Huang has one main goal as her last badminton season approaches: to have fun.

“Of course I want to perform well … [but] it’s senior year,” Huang said.

Badminton Head Coach Tiffany Kim said she hopes Huang will be able to qualify for state a fourth time.

“I think she will need to get back into conditioning because that’s usually her issue,” said Kim. “ … She comes in not her best, and then toward the end of the season she is trying to catch up. If she comes in a little more conditioned, then she will [do] a lot better.”

Huang said she used to be less serious about conditioning but plans to change that this year.

“I want to put 110 percent into the conditioning … because it’s my last season,” Huang said.

Huang said she would also like to win her first weekend tournament this year. But, she does not expect to do that well this season, attributing her predicted lack of success in the state tournament to the strength Stevenson’s lineup is gaining from incoming freshmen.

Huang said she played against Stevenson’s court one singles player, the highest position in the lineup, three times last season. She won the first match, lost the second and lost the third in the consolation bracket of the state tournament. She left the 2016 state tournament with a record of 3-2.

According to Huang, the drive to the state tournament was one of the most memorable experiences with her teammates because of the “terrible” music that was played.

Many members of the team consider the bus rides to be their favorite part of each season.

“Bus rides are always really interesting because we get to really bond with our coach, Coach Kim,” said senior Christina Li. “It’s really nice seeing a different side of her.”

Doubles partners Li and junior Ally Rosenbaum also qualified for the state tournament last season, finishing the state tournament with a record of 1-2.

Li said she hopes she and Rosenbaum can repeat the success they had last season and qualify for state again.

“I think, now that we know we’re each other’s partners, … we can work better on refining our skills and just moving better together,” Li said.

According to Li, the duo played more defensive last year and can work on taking a more offensive stance in matches.

Li and Rosenbaum plan to move from court two to court one in the doubles lineup.

“Ally is a really consistent player, so it’s really good to play with her because I think I am much more consistent when I’m playing with her,” Li said.

Rosenbaum said she hopes to improve her smashes this year and communicate more with Li on the court. She wants to finish her last season with Li strongly.

Kim said she is anticipating some more “good stuff” this season from Li and Rosenbaum.

Rosenbaum said she is nervous but excited for the upcoming weekend tournaments.

“The first [tournament] we have is at Buffalo Grove, and that’s … our hardest tournament,” Rosenbaum said.

According to Kim, the team usually comes in third or fourth place out of eight teams in conference. Last season, the team tied for fourth place in conference.

“It would be nice to obviously go up more than that,” said Kim. “There [is] some tough competition because we’re not [separated into divisions]. … To place in the top three would be a goal for us.”