Burke Harman
ASU Student Journalist

Central badminton cruises past Alhambra for another win

September 24, 2019 by Burke Harman, Arizona State University


Central badminton cruises past Alhambra for another win.

It was more of the same for the Central Bobcats, as they kept their undefeated season alive by beating Alhambra 9-0 on Tuesday.

Head coach Manny Valente knew this match would be more challenging than the last, when the Bobcats beat Youngker last week. But his team showed no signs of a letdown.

“Alhambra is actually a pretty solid team, they have been definitely been improving,” said Valente.

His team showed grit and fight in taking down the Lions. Their early-season success can be attributed to preparation and confidence, according to senior Janette Lim.

“We do some sort of mind training before the game, we have a confidence we’re going to win,” said Lim.

Lim displayed this in her singles match by using her experience and an array of different shots to defeat Alhambra’s Paw Moo (21-9, 21-6).

A plethora of Central’s team showed more experience in skill in their matches. Eh Moo, in particular, had a few fantastic drop shots around the net, displaying her touch and defeating Ezaligin Langle in two sets (21-15, 21-9).

As for Sher Moo, the No. 6 player on team, she displayed wonderful clear shots, continuing to back her opponent up all match long, which gave her plenty of success and a win (21-5, 21-9) over Shel Paw.

Valente stressed that he likes his team working all four corners of the court, making it more challenging for the opponent to return the shot. This helped the Bobcats win all six of their singles matches.

Double matches saw Central show a balance of power and finesse. Eh Moo and  Lim worked well together, having great floor spacing in order to win the match. They had a great balance of the clear and drop shot throughout the doubles match. They defeated the Lions' Evelyn Torres and Eh Paw, who did challenge them, but the Bobcat pair did prevail (21-12, 21-11).

Suh Meh and Elizabeth Abbey utilized the smash shot well. Meh, in particular, had a few impressive smashes to give the Bobcats the win over Tinsay Hlaing and Ezaligin Langle (21-9, 21-15).

The final doubles match for Central had Kaitlyn Stevens and Sher Moo beating Alhambra’s Shel Paw and Paw Moo (21-13, 21-7). This Bobcat pair spaced the floor well and used all four corners for the win to cap off an overall great day for the Bobcats.

The Stevens-Moo pair, in particular, displayed great teamwork and chemistry on the court.

“We do have good chemistry, we have a mixture of strengths and weaknesses together,” said Stevens.

Valente is very pleased about what his team has done and hopes they can build off their success to accomplish more in the future.

“I’m excited to see how the season plays out," Valente said. "We're definitely looking forward to Agua Fria."