Badminton victory breathes life into Gators

 As the badminton regular season winds to a close, Xavier Prep appears to have plenty of life left for a possible playoff run.

The Gators rebounded from a 9-0 setback to Gilbert Perry on Tuesday with a 7-2 road triumph over Tempe Corona del Sol on Wednesday (Oct. 21).  The XCP junior varsity also won 8-1.

Xavier (6-5) has two regular-season matches remaining, at home against Phoenix Desert Vista on Tuesday (Oct. 27) and on the road against Scottsdale Chaparral on Wednesday (Oct. 28).

Xavier Prep 7, Corona del Sol 2

Singles

Merilyn Li, CDS, def. Lina Vanderwey, X, 21-11, 21-18. Sophie Riviere, X, def. Kayla McDonald, CDS, 21-14, 21-10. Lauren Etsitty, X, def. Megan Kirchhardt, CDS, 21-17, 21-15. Mia Velasco, X, def. Adhiti Muruganandam, CDS, 21-18, 21-11. Malindi Kilb, X, def, Savanna Hair, CDS, 21-19, 21-17. Zoe Barton, X, def. Allie Pequeno, CDS, 21-12, 17-21, 21-8.

Doubles

S. Riviere-Vanderwey, X, def. McDonald-Kirchhardt, CDS, 21-18, 21-15. Li-Hair, CDS, def. Velasco-Etsitty, X, 21-19, 21-17. Kilb-Barton, X, def. Pequeno-Muruganandam, CDS, 21-16, 21-9.