Badminton sectionals are in full swing as Metea Valley heads to the Glenbard East Sectional. With several teams in attendance, the stakes are high with a trip to the state meet on the line. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Metea wins doubles semifinals matchup
Into the doubles semifinals, where Metea’s Saanvi Gupta and Medha Kotagiri take on Glenbard East’s Marija Cheeks and Tailor Washick.
After splitting the first two sets, it’s time for a tiebreaker set. Mustang Medha Kotagiri responds quickly to the Glenbard East serve, hammering the birdie home for the point.
Marijia Cheeks serves for Glenbard East. Saanvi Gupta sends the birdie to the back row, where Ram Tailor Washick continues the rally with multiple exchanges with Kotagiri before Washick’s shot lands in bounds for the point.
Ram Tailor Washick stays aggressive after the Mustang serve as she sends the birdie in between the Mustang duo for the red and black score.
Match point for the Mustangs. Kotagiri steps into a backhand return as the Rams send it back over the net before senior Saanvi Gupta sends the birdie to the corner, securing the tough victory for the Mustangs. The Mustang duo clinches a spot at state and advances to the championship match, where they will take on their Mustang teammates, Aditi Singh and Joanna Romauld.
Mustangs reign supreme in doubles championship
Into the doubles championship match, Joanna Romauld serves for the Mustangs. Mustang seniors Aditi Singh and Saanvi Gupta exchange returns before Romauld sneaks the birdie past Gupta and Kotagiri for the point.
Both sides continue to give it their all during the long rally as Kotagiri forces her opponents into multiple tough returns before attacking the net for the score.
Late in the first set, Kotagiri stays on the attack as her return is too fast for Romauld, as it sneaks past her for the point. Kotagiri and Gupta secure the first set victory, 21-12.
After Saanvi Gupta’s serve, Singh sends the bird high into the air before Gupta sends it back over the net. Singh responds by sending her return out of reach for the point.
Mustang Saanvi Gupta responds quickly to the serve with a quick point. After the play, the Mustangs take a moment to celebrate teammate Aashitaa Kumarappan qualifying for state with a win in the consolation bracket.
Kotagiri and Gupta look to close the match in two sets. Kotagiri attacks the net and sends another fast return in between the Mustangs for the game-winning point. Kotagiri and Gupta secure the two-set victory in the all Mustang championship: 21-12, 21-12.
The black and gold roll in the singles championship
Moving on to the singles championship, Mustang freshman Ganu Tanaya takes on Ram senior Samantha King.
After the Mustang serves, the two exchange returns before King plays it short for the point.
Mustang Ganu Tanaya responds with a return too high for King, earning the point.
Later in the set, Tanaya and King stay on the move to keep the rally alive. Samantha King puts an end to the point with the strong one-handed return that the Mustang can’t keep in play. King gets the first set win.
Samantha King continues to build off her momentum from the first set as her return is out of Tanaya’s reach for the point.
After the Ram serves, Tanaya forces King into a tough return as the birdie meets the net.
It’s match point for Samantha King. After the serve, the two rally back and forth as King sends the birdie high into the air, and Tanaya can’t keep the point alive. Glenbard East’s Samantha King gets the two-set victory over Metea Valley’s Ganu Tanaya: 21-17, 21-8.
Metea Valley wins sectionals and advances to state
After both sides secure a spot at state, Metea Valley’s Aashitaa Kumarappan matches up against Wheaton North’s Sanaa Wagle in the third-place match.
Kumarappan serves in the near court for the Mustangs. Wagle responds to Kumarappan’s high serve with a high return of her own before tapping it short for the point.
Both Kumarappan and Wagle exchange high returns into the air before the Mustang answers with a low return as the Falcon is unable to send a return back for a point.
The Mustang continues to build off her momentum by forcing Sanaa Wagle into multiple tough returns. Kumarappan uses a nice touch as her return floats just over the net, which lands too low for Wagle to respond.
After a Mustang serve, the two rally from the back line with impressive returns. Wagle puts an end to the long rally by playing it short for the point. The Falcon goes on to secure the third-place victory in two sets, 21-14 and 22-20.
With tough competition all night long, it’s Metea Valley bringing home the sectional championship with 16 team points. Host school Glenbard East finishes in second place with 12.5 points, with Wheaton North finishing in third place. The Mustangs are bringing both doubles and singles teams to state at DeKalb next week.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
