Get Low
Going low to retrieve a drop shot, sophomore Bonnie Liang makes the attempt to return the birdie to the other side.With a final score of 10-5, the De Anza Women’s Badminton team defeated Fresno City College on April 25 to finish off its regular season undefeated.
Despite Fresno Community College having six players on its team, De Anza did not treat the game, any different than others and powered forward to win .
With every point played, the Dons kept the atmosphere very light and modest.
As the biggest community collegiate badminton team in the state of California, the women representing De Anza College’s badminton team were in to win it.
Already named Conference champions, the team is now preparing for State Championships as well as Individual Conferences.
“Last week’s game was one of our most difficult games, so this week we’re just breezing through until the state and conference championships” said sophomore Bonnie Liang, referring to the match against Mission College on April 19.
Team members are positive they have what it takes to triumph over their competitors.
By winning the championship, they would earn the honor of being first badminton team of De Anza in 15 years to earn the title of number one in the state and hang the banner.
“I’m pretty confident for us this year because we have a pretty solid team,” said sophomore Aileen Ngo.
Many team members have contributed to the success of this team.
Pinky Ji, a 16-year-old freshmen international student and her partner Jessica Nguyen have an undefeated record.
The team is also a family affair for the the Ja family that includes mother Pearl Ja and her two daughters Katherine Ja and Christina Ja.
With a final score of 10–5, badminton head coach Mark Landefeld wanted to keep his team members focused by making sure they all had equal amounts of playing time.
“With the season coming to an end, it’s very easy for them to lose focus.”
“But I know that once the time comes, they’ll refocus and know what they have to do to accomplish their goals,” Landefeld said.
The Dons will move on and compete in the state championships which start May 9 in Pasadena, Calif.
