It’s sectional time in the spring sports season. Tonight, Naperville Central hosts Argo, Downers Grove South, Glenbard South, Morton, and Waubonsie Valley. Those who win their bracket automatically qualify for the state meet next week. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The Warriors start strong in the doubles semifinals
In the doubles semifinals, Redhawks Kavya Peter and Eileen Zheng face off against Warriors Harshita Baskaran and Kari Dong.
In the first set, both sides engage in a back-and-forth rally until Zheng’s shot hits the net.
Waubonsie gets the serve and tries to sneak the birdie over until a slam shot from Zheng builds on the Redhawk lead.
Set one would go to the Warriors, 21-14, with Peter’s shot low and to the ground.
In set two, the Warriors get an aggressive point to set the tone thanks to this hit by Dong.
Shortly after, Baskaran sends a hard shot over the net onto Waubonsie territory.
A great backhander from Baskaran couldn’t get the Redhawks back in this matchup, as the Warriors get the two-set sweep, 21-11.
Waubonsie secures an all-Warrior doubles championship
Next up, Tisha Dubey and Vaishnavi Cheedepudi of Waubonsie Valley take on Sia Maniar and Aditi Patel of Naperville Central.
In set one, Dubey fires a cannon towards the other side, with Patel’s return going out of play.
The Redhawks would snag a point here after Cheedepudi’s slam shot finds the net.
The Warriors would grab the 21-5 first set win with Dubey’s return shot crossing over the net.
The second set starts with both teams saving some great return shots until Patel’s shot can’t get over.
Patel would get revenge with a screamer to the other side, keeping the Redhawks in the match.
However, it’s the Warriors who come out on top with the 21-12 second-set victory. They await their teammates in the championship round.
Waubonsie’s Cheedepudi and Dubey get back-to-back sectional doubles championships
It’s a green and gold affair in the doubles championship between Cheedepudi and Dubey and Baskaran and Dong.
Cheedepudi sets the tone of the match with this fast shot over to her teammates.
Dubey gets in on the action with a light return over.
The veteran duo gets the two-set victory, 21-10 and 21-14, for their second straight sectional doubles title.
Zoey Tian advances in the singles semifinals
The singles semifinals are underway between Central’s Zoey Tian and Downers Grove South’s Samantha Stapleton.
Quick maneuvering works in Tian’s favor with a nice putback to the right side. Tian takes set one 21-4.
Stapleton serves in set two but can’t quite catch where the birdie was going.
Tian moves on with a set two victory, 21-7.
Glenbard South’s Grace Shim moves on to the championship round
One last spot is up for grabs in the semifinals between Central’s Emily He and Glenbard South’s Grace Shim.
Shim starts the night with a drop shot over to the back court for the early lead.
He gets back into it with Shim’s shot, snagging the net.
Shim serves but can’t lift the birdie over, and He takes a one-set lead.
In set two, Shim saves the rally with a low lift up, and He’s return can’t stay in bounds.
Both competitors get a good rally going, but He’s attempt at a save over doesn’t have the arc to get over. Shim ties the game up at 1-1.
He starts the third set with a nice slam shot that catches Shim off balance.
Shim comes back with a faint ace to the left side of the court.
Despite a terrific matchup from both players, Shim wins in three sets by scores of 18-21, 21-14, and 21-11, and faces Zoey Tian in the singles championship.
Zoey Tian wins the singles sectional championship
In the first set of the singles championship, Shim sends a shot towards the net to give Tian the lead.
The two get into a great return battle, but Shim can’t quite lift the birdie over. Tian takes set one 21-14.
Tian would get the second set victory, winning the singles championship. Her performance leads Naperville Central to a sectional victory with 15 points. Waubonsie gets second with 12 points, and Downers Grove South gets third with 7.5 points.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
