Out & About: Mpls Henry/St. Paul Humboldt

#2 posting 4.9.2007
your periodic dose of badminton news & information

MINNEAPOLIS HENRY patriots 4
ST. PAUL HUMBOLDT hawks 3

In the second match up of the year Henry edged Humboldt 4-3. Henry took the top three singles and first doubles to win the event. Henry won first singles and doubles in three. The duo of Mai Chia Yang and Yer Yang won their first doubles match 23-21 in the third game. Henry is now 5-2 on the year, while Humboldt is 1-3.

FIRST SINGLES
Henry's Mai Vang took the first game 21-9, and established domination early going up 5-0 before Mai Chor Lee got on the board. Vang was able to side out on Lee's first five serve. Lee was able to score off her 6th and 7th serve and closed the gap to 11-8 before a Vang drop stopped her momentum. Vang closed out the contest with a 9-1 run. Vang had 8 drops for points in game one.

In game two Vang started off with two points. Again Vang cut Lee's serve off with six straight side outs. Vang led 12-6 at this point. Vang again had three more Side outs on Lee's serve. It was Vang up 18-12. However Vang muffed two serves at her 9th and 11th serve. Lee took advantage of the situation by blowing the door open with 8 straight points. Four of those points came on gifts by Vang. As it was it was all knotted up after Lee's 21-18 win.

In game three Lee had the first lead at 1-0 with a smash, but then Vang ran off the next four points. Again the sideout game was working as Vang held Lee to one serve three straight times. Vang had a comfortable lead at 12-4 lead. But then the sideout game left Vang. Lee started to climb back in to the game from a 15-6 deficit to five point margin at 17-12. Lee had four straight points, two on hitting errors. Vang stopped Lee with a drive and then added two on her serve to put her on the verge 20-12. Lee held off for two points, but put the birdie in the net for Vang's 21st point.

SIDEOUTS; Vang 18/27-.667; Lee 9/26--.346
SERVE RUNS: Vang 4, Lee 2
POINTS:
Vang 60: Drops 20, SPH hitting errors 19 (7 wide, 6 net; 3 general; 1 fan) 6 drives, 6 smashes; 6 clears; SPH Serving errors 2; Aces 1
Lee: 44; MH hitting errors 17 (wide 7, fans 4, net 3, general 2, deep 1); Drops 11; MH serving errors 5; Clears 4; Drives 3; Smashes 2; unknown 2

FOURTH SINGLES
This game started late and that is why you get bonus coverage. It was Humboldt's Gao Vang taking this contest coming back from a 17-12 deficit in game one. It took a while for her to warm up. She trailed by as many as seven. Yang had three straight side outs to build the lead, but then the roof caved in. Vang finished game one with a 12-2 run.

Vang continued that momentum in the second game racing out to a 6-0 lead. Yang had thre hitting errors in that opening sequence. Vang had another big run late in the game with five straight to make it 19-8.

SIDEOUTS: Vang 6/14---.429; Yang 6/15---.400
SERVE RUNS: Vang 4, Yang 1
POINTS: Vang 42: MH hitting errors: 16 (wide 6, net 4, fan 3, deep 2, general 1); Drops 9, Drives 8, Aces 2, Clear 2, MH serving errors 2; smash 1.
Yang: 29. SPH hitting errors: 10 (net 5, wide 2, fan 1, deep 1, general 1); Drops 7; General 3; SPH serving errors 3; Clears 2; drives 2; smashes 1

SINGLES
1. Mai Vang (MH) def Mai Chor Lee 21-9, 18-21, 21-14
2. Lisa Thao (MH) def Shoua Moua 21-18, 21-9
3. Chua Pha (MH) def Sunny Vang 21-8, 21-15
4. Gao Vang (SPH) def Hnia Yang 21-17, 21-12
DOUBLES
1. Mai Chia Yang/Yer Yang (MH) def Sheng Yang/Pha Yang 21-15, 16-21, 23-21
2. Nou Yang/Youa Yang (SPH) def Dia Lee/Bao Xiong 21-14, 21-14
3. Jeanette Riopel/Sarah Santos (SPH) def Kaablia Vang/Jessica Lee 21-13, 21-11

BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Henry 3-1 .750
Games: Henry 6-3 .667
points: 173-136 .560
decided by 2: 0
decided by 10+: Henry 3-0
DOUBLES
Matches: Humboldt 2-1 .667
Games: Humboldt 5-2 .714
points: Humboldt 141-112 .557

next up: tomorrow morning