It’s the girls badminton state championship being held in front of a packed house at DeKalb High School. The DVC is well represented with Metea Valley, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, and Waubonsie Valley all featuring athletes still competing on day two of the tournament. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The showcase matches are the consolation championships, the third-place matches, and the singles and doubles state championships. Waubonsie Valley senior Tisha Dubey and sophomore partner Vaishnavi Cheedepudi are in the doubles consolation against Sophie Zhou and Riya Maligireddy from Fremd.
Waubonsie doubles competes for the consolation championship
The Warriors advanced to the championship quarterfinals before suffering their first defeat, but defeated Ruby Li and Michelle Wang from Naperville North in three sets in the consolation quarters. They then earned a spot in the fifth-place match with a win over Nara Feng & Dhivija Challa from IMSA.
Waubonsie takes an early lead in the first set, thanks in part to a quick reaction from Dubey, who redirects a shot into the back corner for a point.
The Warriors maintain the early edge with Cheedepudi sending back a return, before Dubey steps in for the smash.
But the Vikings duo rallies and goes on a run to take the first set. Maligireddy jumps on a smash down the middle as Fremd takes the set 21-11.
Trailing in the second set, Waubonsie pulls closer thanks to a rare feat. An ace from Cheedepudi as she drops her serve in the perfect spot on the front line.
Fremd proves to be too much to handle, pulling away in the second set as well to win fifth place in doubles, 21-11, 21-13. The Warriors finish in 13th place as a team.
Han and Reddy battle Stevenson for the doubles title
The doubles championship features a heavyweight bout between freshman Kaitlyn Kim and sophomore Charlotte Richards from Stevenson against the Neuqua duo of Luna Han and Ishi Reddy. Both Wildcats have plenty of state experience, with Han winning state doubles as a freshman in 2024 and finishing as the runner-up last year. While Reddy was the 2025 state singles champion as a freshman.
The first set is back and forth, but the Stevenson duo finishes strong with Kim delivering a big smash to finish off the set by the score of 21-18 in favor of the Patriots.
Han and Reddy have not faced many deficits this season, and they respond with poise and determination. After a quick return from Reddy, Han slams a return across the court that is too hot to handle for a Wildcat point.
Looking to force a tiebreaking third set, Neuqua executes well with Han patrolling the back line and Reddy manning the front. Putting the finishing touch on a set two is Reddy, who drops a shot just out of reach of the diving Patriots. Neuqua takes it 21-16 to force a set three to decide the doubles title.
Stevenson jumps out to the early lead. With one of many lengthy rallies ongoing, Kim flips a backhand to her right and down for the point to put the Pats on the brink of victory.
Serving for match point, the Neuqua duo tries to defend, but Richards uses a pair of powerful overhand smashes to end the set and the match. Stevenson wins the doubles state championship in three sets, with Neuqua finishing as the runner-up. The Patriots also earned a third-place finish thanks to seniors Nivedya Nair and Katie Moy, who defeated Emma Qin & Catherine Qin from Fremd.
North freshman Erica Lin shines in the third-place match
To the singles bracket, where Naperville North freshman Erica Lin is in the third-place match against Fremd junior, Sophia Lin. The Huskies had a strong tournament, with a fourth-place finish in the team standings.
The first set is a close one with each player looking for an edge. Erica Lin sets herself up for set point with a strong smash, taking a late 20-19 lead. But Sophia Lin recovers and scores four of the final five points, moving around the court well and slapping a forehand down into the back corner.
The second set is back-and-forth as well. Despite dropping set one 23-21, Erica Lin plays loose and puts her opponent on her heels. The Huskie battles back to win set two, 21-18, to force a third set to settle third place.
In set three, Erica Lin seizes control and glides across the court, ready for seemingly every return. Sophia Lin goes for the point in the back corner, but Erica raises her arms in triumph as she realizes the shot is heading out of play. She takes the tiebreaker 21-13 to earn the third-place medal.
Naperville North also got a strong singles performance from Kelly Hu, who advanced all the way to the consolation quarterfinals. Paige Xu and senior Rakshita Ruparel also advanced to the consolation quarters in doubles for the Huskies.
Clarinda Jin wins the state singles title for Neuqua
The singles championship features Neuqua Valley star freshman Clarinda Jin, who defeated close friend Erica Lin in the semifinals. The Wildcat looks to finish her inaugural season as the undefeated champ against fellow freshman, Allison Zhao from Glenbrook North.
Jin is far from rattled in the opening set, moving her opponent around and using her power to keep Zhao on the defensive. Jin smashes home a shot for the point and a 21-13 first set win.
But Zhao recovers in set two and takes control. She goes on a run to build a 12-8 lead in the second set, showcasing her power and touch as she looks to force a third set.
However, Clarinda Jin locks in from that point on. The freshman unleashes an 8-0 run to completely flip the script and jump in front 16-12 to steal the momentum, putting her returns wherever she wants on the court.
At championship point, the Wildcat delivers. Using a pair of leaping overhand smashes, Clarinda Jin wins the state singles championship 21-14, 21-13 in straight sets. It’s the second straight state singles championship for Neuqua Valley after an undefeated campaign.
Stevenson wins the 2026 state badminton championship
The Wildcats are taking home the third-place state trophy with Fremd finishing as the state runner-up. Neuqua also got key points from seniors Katherine Ye and Amber Shi in doubles and junior Sristi Barnwal in singles.
Stevenson High School comfortably wins the 2026 state championship with 21 team points. Metea Valley finishes in sixth with Naperville Central in tenth as a team. Zoey Tian made it to the quarterfinal round for the Redhawks, finishing in the top eight. Medha Kotagiri and Saanvi Gupta made the consolation quarterfinals to lead the Mustangs. Freshman Ganu Tanaya also added three consolation bracket victories for Metea.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
