Birdies are out, so it’s time for Badminton as defending sectional champs Naperville Central takes a trip to Waubonsie Valley for the DVC opener. Last season, the Redhawks came out victorious in this matchup. This highlight is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
Redhawks soar in the doubles division
We start with three featuring Bavya Chowdavarapu and Yinou Zhang from Naperville Central facing Waubonsie’s Simran Choudary and Maya Musuta. Right away it’s the Warrior duo coming out with a point trying to steal momentum. Later on Chowdavarapu and Zhang put their swing on the birdie and wins in straight sets 21-18 and 21-17 in a tight one.
Redhawks have Hannah Chu and Nicole Lian representing the two doubles against Alexis Ahlert and Anna Buchenauer. Buchenauer and Ahlert are on to serve and start a small rally but get the point after a failed Central send-back. However, Chu and Zhang also bring out their brooms to win in two sets by scores of 21-14 and 21-15.
Naperville Central’s Megan Moreno and Zoey Tian take on Waubonsie’s Norah George and Manju Balaji in the one doubles. This one features a quick rally, and Moreno finishes it off with an aggressive send back over the net. This two-set victory for Moreno and Tian caps off a Redhawk doubles sweep.
Norah George shows a strong first impression in two singles for Waubonsie
On the singles side, Manju Balaji from Waubonsie Valley and Hannah Chu square off at three singles. It was a very competitive matchup, with Balaji getting some early momentum after Chu takes set one in dominating fashion. Chu has to come back in the second set and win it 22-20 to complete the sweep to slip past her Warrior opponent.
Central gets a forfeit win in the one singles, so we wrap up in the two singles. Waubonsie’s Norah George is playing in this spot for the first time and is off to a great start on Central Megan Moreno. George takes that first impression to another level by sweeping Moreno two singles for the win. But it’s the Redhawks with the last laugh as a team, winning the DVC opener 11-4.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
