Pasadena On Track For SoCal Title, Blanks ELAC
by David O'Connor, PCC Courier
Not only is the women's badminton team gunning for a state title and undefeated in the South Coast conference, but they have shifted the status of their rivalry with the reigning two-time SCC champions in a commanding 21-0 home win over East Los Angeles College on Friday.
Rewind two years ago when the Huskies snapped the Lancers SCC record 41-match winning streak on April 10, 2013, which kick-started six consecutive wins over the next two seasons. PCC lost all four matches to ELAC last season and atoned for this lopsided record by turning the tables with their fourth win in a row over their longtime rivals and, in doing so, stretched their unbeaten streak to 12 games this season.
Led by key singles players and doubles pair Rebecca Tzou and Sandra Maw, a weakened Lancers lineup was untroubled by the Huskies, who only managed to test the hosts in one of the singles matches. Pasadena's No. 3 singles player, Yingwen Lin, was stretched in the opening set, 22-20, but closed out the win in the second set, 21-11.
Although Lancers head coach Jennifer Ho was glad to beat ELAC again, she feels they are a different side this season.
"ELAC's team isn't as strong as last year, I think this is probably their weakest team in the past five years," Ho said.
PCC fielded a near second-string team due to their usual No. 3 singles player, Eugenia Mendez, being unavailable because of school commitments. Noemi Diaz missed out as a result of an ankle injury and Jennifer Delgado battled sickness.
Delgado lauded the team's confidence level and pinpoints teamwork and a solid training regimen as the keys to the team's successful season thus far.
"After being undefeated so far, I think that we have a pretty good chance at state," Delgado said. "So we're going to work really hard and try our best, that way we can have more confidence to win state."
Ho has her eyes on coming up against hosts San Diego City College in the Southern California championships on April 29 and believes that her team needs to improve its defense and handle the big moments with more composure.
"My girls really need defense. Mentally they need to prepare and they need to learn to play under pressure," Ho said.