The coaching staff for Xavier Prep’s badminton team is optimistic about the prospects of a strong team this fall, and why not? The Gators are loaded with experience in the form of their top six players, all of them seniors.
“We are
excited,’’ said second-year varsity coach Laura Forbes. “Because of the (Covid) virus, we had a long
“wait and see’ leading up to when we started having open gyms and were juggling
40 kids back and forth. Then we had the tryouts and now are ready to start the
season.’’
Xavier will
be playing a compacted 11-game regular season with one mid-season tournament,
with the season’s end coming seemingly almost before it gets started, on Oct.
22. The Gators will begin the schedule on Sept. 22 with a home match against
Phoenix Pinnacle.
Some weeks
will have three matches in the week.
Xavier had a
good showing last season, finishing 9-5 with a No. 5 seeding in the state
tournament in Forbes’ first season guiding the program.
“We’re
looking toward a good, competitive season,’’ Forbes said. “We were fifth in the
state last season and now we are talking about doing something better.’’
The team
will play “ladder matches’’ every Friday during the season, and how well the
players do in that could determine which ones will be on the top list the
following week. Someone from the junior-varsity team could step up and make a
contribution with the varsity.
“It keeps
them all very competitive,’’ Forbes said.
The top
singles player is expected to be senior Sophie Riviere (pronounced Revere, as
in Paul Revere), and Riviere likely will team with senior Lina Vanderwey in the
leading competitive doubles team.
“They are
good at what they do,’’ Forbes said of Riviere and Vanderwey. “When they’re
“on,’ when they’re focused, they can be very, very good.’’
Said
Riviere: “It will be interesting to see how the season goes. I think we have
more girls out here who are capable of making more of a contribution.’’
Xavier will
not have spectators at its home matches, per a mandate from the Diocese of
Phoenix. But XCP is planning to live stream those through a NFHS (National
Federation of High Schools) network on the school’s Web site. However, matches
at Chandler schools will carry on as before, with fans expected.
“Sometimes
you get fired up for the big matches, but we will have to do that all the time,
make our on motivation,’’ Riviere said.
She and
Vanderwey played doubles only occasionally last year but now are ready to make
their move each time out.
“It didn’t
take long for us to find out that we work well together,’’ Riviere said. “We
know how each other plays, what our strengths are.’’
After these
seniors graduate, the cupboard won’t be empty in the following years.
“We feel we have some promising (young) talent,’’ she said.
Xavier Prep badminton roster – 2020
Varsity
(Listed
alphabetically, not by placement order)
Zoe Barton,
Sr.; Lauren Etsitty, Sr.; Malindi Kilb, Sr.; Sophie Riviere, Sr.; Lina
Vanderwey, Sr.; Mia Velasco, Sr.
Junior
varsity
Sophia
Bonilla, Jr.; Caroline Cobb, Jr.; Jasmine Leyva, Jr.; Dani Rivera, Jr.; Sara
Castlen, So.; Riley Dowdall, So.
Developmental
Alexis
Garman, So.; Grace Riviere, So.; Kasia Smilielski, Fr.; Lila Williams, Fr.
Coaches
Head coach –
Laura Forbes. Assistant – Brian McNerney.
Student
managers
Jillian Brown, Sr.; Sienna Martinez, Sr.
Schedule
(Subject to
change)
Sept. 22 –
Phoenix Pinnacle. Sept. 28 -- @ Mesa Red Mountain. Sept. 30 – Mesa Skyline.
Oct. 1 -- @ Chandler Hamilton. Oct. 3 – Forner Invitational at Phoenix
Sunnyslope. Oct. 6 – @ Glendale Mountain Ridge. Oct. 7 – Phoenix Sunnyslope.
Oct. 8 – Peoria Liberty. Oct. 13 -- @ Tempe Corona del Sol. Oct. 14 -- @
Chandler Basha. Oct. 15 – Chandler High. Oct. 20 – Gilbert Perry.
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