PCC Meets Fresno City In State Team Badminton Final Today

by Robert Lewis, CCCSIA

For only the second time in its program's history, the Pasadena City College women's badminton team advanced to a state championship final. The Lancers are looking to make school history Thursday, May 12 at 3 p.m. as they play Fresno City College in the state team final at Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium. The Lancers have never won the state team title since women's badminton became a California Community College intercollegiate sport in 2000.

PCC is the host of the CCCAA State Badminton Championships that continue Friday-Saturday, May 13-14 with the individual singles and doubles tournament.

The 2-time defending South Coast Conference champion Lancers (12-0) defeated PCAC champion Irvine Valley in a small cloud of controversy. IVC (9-1) originally protested PCC's 12-9 SoCal Finals win back on May 4 in questioning the Lancers' singles ladder. However, after considerable discussion, it was decided that the match would not be replayed.

The last time PCC played in the state final also was a year that the HP Gym was the host site--back in 2010. The Lancers lost to City College of San Francisco, 11-10. 

This week, Pasadena faces the North's top team and Coast Conference champions in Fresno (8-0). FCC is led by No. 1 singles player Lucy Lor and the doubles pair of Lor and Panhia Vang. PCC is paced by Rebecca Tzou, who made it to last year's state individual singles final, and the doubles duo of Tzou and Sandra Maw, the defending state individual champions.

Pasadena participated in the Coast Tournament, a pre-conference round robin individual tourney on March 12. In that tourney played at Fresno, Tzou won a tough match over Lor, 21-18, 21-15. 

Other key players for Fresno are Melody Zhou and Wenting Liang while PCC counters with Eugenia Mendez and Ana Espinoza. 

"Our ladies are very excited about playing for a state title," PCC head coach Jennifer Ho said. "We are strong in singles and we have a pretty outstanding doubles squad in Rebecca and Sandra. It would be a special accomplishment to win the team final."

Ho, in her second season directing the program, has put together an impressive overall record of 25-1, including a 21-match conference winning streak. The Rams, coached by Carol Kadingo, are making their first appearance in a state final since 2007. In any case, the team that wins on Thursday will be a first-time state champion.

photo by Richard Quinton

State Championship Individual Brackets
[Singles Championship][Singles Consolation]
[Doubles Championship][Doubles Consolation]