The view from the top is breathtaking.
Xavier Prep seniors Tatum Clarke and Annie Kamps admitted it
was not a level they thought they would reach.
But there they were, standing atop the podium in the No. 1
spot after winning the Division I state badminton doubles championship on
Saturday (Oct. 22) at Glendale Independence.
Clarke and Kamps capped a big day with a 15-9, 15-10 victory
over Gilbert Perry’s Dominique Garcia and Tori Albin in the title match. It was
Clarke and Kamps’ second win over Perry on the day. Clarke and Kamps defeated
Jillian Lagasca and Katie Cross in the semifinals.
Clarke and Kamps were the No. 6 seed and senior teammates
Emily Woodrow and Kiana Valentova-Macdonald were seeded No. 1. Woodrow and
Valentova-Macdonald fell to Garcia and Albin in the semifinals but rebounded to
defeat Lagasca and Cross, 15-12, 15-17 and 15-5 in the consolation match.
Lagasca and Cross were seeded No. 2 and Garcia and Albin
were seeded No. 5. So when Garcia and Albin faced Clarke and Kamps for the title,
it was something that not many expected.
“We were kind of the underdog of the tournament,’’ Kamps
said.
Said Clarke: “When we won in the quarterfinals, we said that
it really didn’t matter if we won or lost after that because we still were
going to get up on the podium.’’
But the fact that they won . . .
“It’s still kind of hard to believe,’’ Kamps said. “We’re
state champs, oh my gosh!!’’
 | |
| Xavier's Tatum Clark and Annie Kamps hold up the tournament bracket after winning the Division I state badminton doubles title. Consolation winners Kiana Valentova-Macdonald and Emily Woodrow are on the right and two teams from Gilbert Perry are on the left. |
Clarke and Kamps were paired together all season, but the
beginning was a bit uncertain.
“A lot of the girls from last year graduated, so we weren’t
really sure what was going to happen,’’ Clarke said. “We sort of had some input
into the one we would be playing with. I am more of an offensive player and
Annie is very defense-oriented, so we thought that would be a good combination.’’
Even though the state team tournament begins on Monday (Oct.
24), these doubles results were a collaborative effort by all the players,
according to coach Sue Contreras.
“I am so proud of them. They have been working really hard
in practice,’’ she said.
The key for success in doubles is communication between the
players.
“That’s one of the biggest things we work on during
practice,’’ Contreras said. “Communication can be just as important as your
badminton skills.
“These girls are unselfish. They want to win for themselves,
their teammates and their school.’’
Contreras, Kamps and Clarke watched the
Woodrow-Valentova-Macdonald consolation match with a great deal of interest.
“We’re glad that they won it,’’ Kamps said.
Contreras said that Woodrow and Valentova-Macdonald might
have been trying too hard to win their semifinal match and reach the finals.
“When we got ready (for the consolation match), I just told
them to take a deep breath and do the things they do well. That’s what they
did,’’ Contreras said.
Clarke is looking forward to attending family gatherings
with her sister, Madison, who graduated from Xavier in 2015. Madison Clarke won
three straight state tennis singles titles.
“I can say, “I’m a state champ, too,’ ’’ Tatum Clarke said.
The Gators move on to the state team tournament, hosting the
first two rounds (back to back) on Monday at the Activity Center. Xavier is the
top seed and has a first-round bye, and a victory in the second round will send
the Gators to the semifinals on Wednesday (Oct. 26) at Desert Vista High in
Ahwatukee. A win there would earn a spot in the title match on Thursday (Oct.
27) at Phoenix Sunnyslope.
Contreras was asked if Saturday’s results would help create
a bit of momentum for the team next week.
“I hope so,’’ she said. “With all the good players that were
here . . . I think this shows that we can play with anybody at any time.’’
No comments:
Post a Comment