ELAC badminton rallies for win against El Camino
TORRANCE, CA.—The East Los Angeles College badminton team, which won 11-10 at El Camino College a month ago in South Coast Conference play, won 20-1 today against the Warriors in the North Gym.
El Camino played without its No. 1 player, freshman Oanh Le (North Torrance High School) and No. 5 player sophomore Jordan Alvira (North Torrance) who accounted for six points in the first meeting.
ELAC has improved in matches this month compared to early season matches in February. Moreover, the Huskies improvement shined today against El Camino.
There were five close matches today and ELAC won four of them compared to five nail biters last month when El Camino won all five.
In one of the closest game of today's match, El Camino's No. 3 singles player, freshman Natsuki Hoshiko (North Torrance) defeated ELAC's No. 4 singles player sophomore Stephanie "Jia Min" Li (Mark Keppel HS) 25-23, 21-17.
ELAC's No. 3 doubles team, Li and freshman Maggie "Haixia" Wang (Hainan Oversea Chinese School, China) won a come-from-behind three-set match, 19-21, 21-17, 21-14 vs. El Camino's No. 3 doubles duo of freshmen Regina Reyes (HS W. 136, Russia) and Hope Agosto (Hope Chapel Academy).
In other SCC action, Pasadena City College defeated El Camino-Compton Center 21-0. Pasadena leads the SCC standings at 5-0; ELAC moves further ahead in second place (3-2); El Camino College (1-3) stands in third place and Compton (0-4) is in fourth.
The second round of SCC play closes with ELAC at El Camino-Compton Center and El Camino College hosting Pasadena on Friday, April 1. Both matches begin at 2 p.m.
Singles Results
No. 1 freshman Jean Mornelle Buenaflor (South El Monte HS) defeated No. 2 Caitlin Villalobos 21-10, 21-14; def. No. 1 Shadera Woodland (Long Beach Cabrillo HS) 21-10, 21-8.
No. 2 Serena Lieu (Sierra Vista HS) def. Woodland 21-16, 21-3; Villalobos 21-7, 21-8.
No. 3 Han Le (Vietnam Asian HS) def. No. 4 Robeth Ann Arante (F. G. Calderon Integrated School, Philippines) 21-13, 21-13; def. No. 3 Hoshiko 21-13, 22-20.
No. 4 Li lost to Hoshiko 25-23, 21-17; def. Arante 21-14, 21-14.
No. 5 freshman Vanessa "Yong Xian" Liang (China Taishan No. 1 HS) def. No. 6 Reyes 21-6, 21-10; def. No. 5 Agosto 21-18, 23-21.
No. 6 freshman Chris "Pei Jie" Li (China Chao Yang FL School) def. Agosto 21-17, 21-17; def. Reyes 21-5, 21-7.
Doubles Results
No. 1 Buenaflor/Liang def. No. 2 Villalobos/Arante 21-7, 21-8; def. No. 1 Woodland/Hoshiko 21‑8, 21-5.
No. 2 Lieu/Le def. Woodland/Hoshiko 21-10, 21-19; def. Villalobos/Arante by walk over.
No. 3 Li/Wang def. No. 3 Reyes/Agosto 19-21, 21-17, 21-14.
story submitted by Tadzio Garcia