Tues. March 14, East’s girls junior varsity and varsity badminton team participated in their first match of the season, competing against Neuqua.

Despite the efforts from the JV and varsity team, they found themselves facing a defeat within the singles and double matches. Neuqua took the victory 15-0.

With Neuqua being top three overall in the state, this was a difficult match for the girls. With this in mind, varsity Coach Craig Morris thinks the girls showed commitment and determination throughout the match.

“This was always going to be a very tough opening match for the team. Neuqua Valley is a very strong program with dedicated club players,” Morris said. “Our team however performed well and although we never won any games we recorded some very commendable scores and managed to show great decision making and teamwork on the court.”

Going into the match, the girl’s were aware of the skill level of their opponent. Varsity player Vennela Reddy Vakati also believes this influenced their performance as well.

“I would improve my individual attitude towards the game. I feel like especially with today’s match, all of us psyched ourselves out and played our games with the wrong mindset throughout which consequently led to the results,” Vakati said.

JV player Krisha Majmundar explained that regardless of the loss during the first match of the season, the team was able to take it as a learning experience and remain positive.

“It was a great first match for us since we were able to play one of the best teams in our area. It was a great experience since we were able to get exposure to these teams and find places where we personally could improve,” Majmundar said.

JV Coach Peter Conrad expressed a similar mindset following the match, with high hopes and expectations for the rest of their season.

“Despite the tough loss I’m very excited about the upcoming season and the girls we have on the team. There’s a lot to build on and everyone seems ready to challenge themselves; and that’s all a coach can ask for,” Conrad said.

East girls will be competing in their next match Thurs. March 16 against Waubonsee.

Aryanna Griffin is a staff writer for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.