#1 posting 4.30.2008
badminton news & information
There is no out & about today.
However there are two days worth of results to digest.
On Monday in St. Paul
Besides the Arlington 4-3 win over Como Park, Harding beat Central 6-1 and Johnson beat Highland Park by the same score.
Humboldt won a non conference match with Minneapolis Henry 4-3.
In Minneapolis North beat Southwest in a make up match 4-3.
On Tuesday in Minneapolis
Besides the Edison 7-0 win over Henry yesterday that I reported on---North won their second match in two days with a 5-2 win over Roosevelt. South swept Southwest 7-0.
In other news Minneapolis Henry coach Tim Miller and wife Megan welcomed new baby girl Riley into the world on April 22.
next up: tomorrow I will be back in the out & about circuit as the last full regular season week wraps up.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Results from Monday and Tuesday
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Out & About: Edison/Henry
#1 posting 4.29.2008
badminton news & information
MINNEAPOLIS EDISON tommies 7,
MINNEAPOLIS HENRY patriots 0
The Edison Tommies rolled over the Henry Patriots in a Minneapolis battle. The Tommies swept all events. The singles were clean, each at 2-0. The doubles provided the only drama with two matches going to three games. Henry led 1-0 at second doubles before Kia and Brenda Vue rallied for the the win. Yer Vue and Karrie Le won the first and then lost the second before completing the perfect day for Edison.
FIRST SINGLES
If you look closely at the numbers you will find both players had the exact same amount of winners at 13. It was in the error department that Chue Mai Thao of Edison took advantage of the points gift wrapped by Yer Yang. Yang had seven mis
sed serves, five for first side outs in the first game. Thao won that game 21-14----seven better. Thao only had three winners in the first game. Yang ended her own serve on three straight sequences twice in the first game.
The second game had more winners for each player and was more compelling. Yang led early at 3-1. Thao was able to get a five point run to take a 6-3 lead. Yang managed to tie it up at 10 and 11. A 7-1 Thao run put the Tommie in the drivers seat. In the last run of three Thao had a pair of clears for points. The rest of the game was a battle of side outs.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Chue Mai Thao 14/20-.700; Yer Yang 9/19 .474
RUNS OF 3+:
Chue Mai Thao 6, Yer Yang 3
POINTS:
Chue Mai Thao 42
Winners 13: Soft Drives 6, Clears 3, Drives 2, Smashes 2
Yer Yang Errors 29: hitting 21 (Net 10, Fan 4, Wide 4, Deep 3); Serving 8 (Deep 5, Wide 3)
Yer Yang 29
Winners: 13: Soft Drives 5, Aces 3, Clears 3, Drops 1, Smashes 1
Chue Mai Thao Errors 16: hitting 15 (Net 11, Wide 4); Serving 1 (Net 1)
Time: 13:38
SINGLES
1. Chue Mai Thao (E) beat Yer Yang 21-14, 21-15
2. Pa Nha Xiong (E) beat Nhia Yang 21-14, 21-14
3. Ly Vang (E) beat Choua Pha 21-15, 21-12
4. Candy Camora (E) beat Ma Pha 21-15, 21-17
DOUBLES
1. Xia Xiong/Ka Bao Xiong (E) beat Neng Vang/See Thao 21-10, 21-15
2. Kia Vue/Brenda Vue (E) beat Lakresha Williams/Sheng Xiong 15-21, 21-19, 21-13
3. Yer Vue/Karrie Le (E) beat Shoua/Tenisha 21-11, 15-21, 21-15
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Edison 4-0 1.000
Games: Edison 8-0 1.000
Points: Edison 168-116 .592
decided by 10+: 0-0
decided by 3-: 0-0
DOUBLES
matches: Edison 3-0 1.000
games: Edison 6-2 .750
points: Edison 156-125 .555
decided by 10+: Edison 2-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Edison 1-0 1.000
next up: tomorrow
Monday, April 28, 2008
Out & About: Arlington/Como Park
badminton news & information
ST. PAUL ARLINGTON phoenix 4,
ST. PAUL COMO PARK cougars 3
One of the great things about badminton is that no matter how miserable the weather (temps topping out at 40 degrees) the game goes on. The weather was cold but the action on Rice Street was hot. Arlington won a tight contest with Como Park 4-3. How tight was it? if you add the total points Arlington beat Como by one 333-332. Arlington took the last two singles, and the odd doubles to put together their win. All the doubles went three games. Three of the games were within two of each other. At first doubles the Arlington pair lost the first game and bounced back to take the victory. At second and third both winners split their series.
The fact is I saw the two matches that had the largest margins, so the action wasn't representitive of the final score.
It was senior day for Arlington as 13 seniors received flowers.
FIRST SINGLESThis was a rare case in this match of one player having an easy victory. Yer Yang had 26 points given to her on hitting and or serving errors by Kazoua Yang. Yer Yang's victory margin in points was 19. The next closest match was at fourth singles with 13 (which is told down below).
Yer Yang had 7 runs of 3 or more and slammed the door on Kazoua's serve with a side out % of .688. If you look at t
he winners for each player Yer edged Kazoua 16-15.Yer took a 5-1 lead in the first game and it was never seriously in doubt. Yer had five runs in the first game. Kazoua was able to get two side outs on Yer's 5th and 6th serve.
In game two Kazoua was able to get as close as 8-6 after trailing 4-1. A Yer run of five put some distance between the two. Kazoua hitting errors provided four points in the run. Kazoua had her only run of the match with four straight to close to 13-10. The game stayed in the three point margin until Yer got a side out. She finished off the match with five straight.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Yer Yang 11/16-.688; Kazoua Yang 8/18-.444
RUNS OF 3+:
Yer Yang 7, Kazoua Yang 1
POINTS:
Yer Yang 42
Winners: 16: Drops 7, Soft Drives 3, Drives 2, Clears 2, Smashes 2
Kazoua Yang Errors 26: hitting 24 (Net 13, Wide 5, Deep 4, Fans 2); Serving 2 (Wide 1, Net 1)
Kazoua Yang 23
Winners 15: Drops 9, Soft Drive 2, Smashes 2, Clears 2
Yer Yang Errors 8: hitting 8 (Net 4, Wide 2, Drives 1, Fans 1)
Time: 13:00
FOURTH SINGLESThe fourth singles match had two games with a different feel. Tina Yang controlled the action in game one right from the start with six straight points. At the start it was evident that Der Xiong didn't have the energy that Yang possessed. Xiong did come back to 14-10, but Yang took another big run with five straight to put her on the
verge. Yang used the drop for six points in game one including point #21.Game two was much more competitive. Yang had a run of four for a 6-3 lead. Again the drop was effective for two points. Yang led 14-12 when Der Xiong had a monster run of seven to grab a 19-14 lead. Xiong was on the verge at 20-15 when, on her serve, Yang forced a side out as Xiong fanned on a shot. Yang then served out with six straight points--the last point---a drop.
FOURTH SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Tina Yang 6/16-.375; Der Xiong 6/16-.353
RUNS OF 3+:
Tina Yang 6, Der Xiong 2
POINTS:
Tina Yang 43
Winners: 28: Drops 13, Drives 7, Clears 3, Smashes 3, Soft Drives 1, Aces 1
Der Xiong Errors 15: hitting 15 (Nets 11, Fans 2, Wides 1, Deep 1)
Der Xiong 31
Winners 12: Drives 3, Drops 2, Clears 2, Aces 2, Smashes 2, Soft Drives 1
Tina Yang Errors 19: hitting 15 (Nets 10, Wides 4, Fans 1); Serves 4 (Deep 3, Wide 1)
Time: 14:50
SINGLES
1. Yer Yang (CP) beat Kazoua Yang 21-10, 21-13
2. KaNeng Vue (CP) beat Cha Her 21-12, 16-21, 21-16
3. Novia Josiah (A) beat Nou Fang 21-16, 21-16
4. Tina Yang (A) beat Der Xiong 21-11, 22-20
DOUBLES
1. Pa Hnia Yang/Kia Her (A) beat Bao Vue/Alynda Her 13-21, 21-14, 21-15
2. Youa Lee/Xue Yang (CP) beat Pamale Thao/Chia Vang 22-20, 21-23, 21-16
3. Nancy Vang/Zee Lue Xiong (A) beat Nikita Vang/Paxia Her 21-17, 20-22, 21-16
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: 2-2
Games: Arlington 5-4 .556
Points: Como Park 163-157 .509
decided by 10+: 1-1
decided by 3-: Arlington 1-0
DOUBLES
matches: Arlington 2-1 .667
games: Arlington 5-4 .556
points: Arlington 176-169 .510
decided by 10+: 0-0
decided by 3-: Como Park 2-1 .667
next up: tomorrow
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Rankings and Week Ahead
#1 posting 4.27.2008
badminton news & information
WEEKLY RANKINGS
With Harding's win over Johnson this past week they flip flop the top spot.
1. Harding
2. Johnson
3. Eden Prairie
4. Highland Park
5. Central
6. Edison
7. South
8. Como Park
9. Burnsville
10. Arlington
11. Humboldt
12. Henry
13. Southwest
14. North
15. Washburn
16. Roosevelt
#1 SINGLES RANKINGS
I have seen these three the most. I have one match records for many others, but that is not enough to make the list.
1. Katie Vohnoutka, Eden Prairie
2. Khoua Xiong, St. Paul Highland Park
3. Mee Xiong, St. Paul Harding
4. Goly Yang, St. Paul Johnson
5. Chang, St. Paul Central
THE WEEK AHEAD
This is the last full week for the regular season. The Minneapolis race is up in the air with South and Edison each with one loss. Henry may be the spoiler as they play each this week.
In St. Paul Harding will be at Central, they host Arlington, and Como Park. Johnson hosts Highland Park and Humboldt this week. Both Harding and Johnson have one loss.
By the way I have finally added the photos for the Harding/Johnson match and the Burnsville triangular with Harding and Eden Prairie.
Next up:
Friday, April 25, 2008
Late Results
#1 posting 4.25.2008
badminton news & information
It has been a while since we checked in on the results from around the area
THURSDAY
Edison edged South 4-3 which is the same score Washburn used to beat Roosevelt in Minneapolis.
In St. Paul Johnson dropped Arlington 6-1.
I reported on the Burnsville Triangular yesterday. I hope to get the photos up later today.
WEDNESDAY
In Minneapolis--- Henry beat Roosevelt 5-2; South beat North 6-1, and Southwest swept Washburn 7-0.
In St. Paul Central beat Arlington 5-2 and Highland Park also beat Humboldt 5-2. I reported on the Harding 4-3 win over Johnson on Wednesday.
In non conference action it was Como Park beating Burnsville 5-2.
Next up: tomorrow
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Out & About: Burnsville Triangular
badminton news & information
BURNSVILLE TRIANGULAR
Today Burnsville hosted St. Paul Harding and Eden Prairie in a triangular. Harding finished 2-0, Eden Prairie split their contests, and Burnsville lost twice.
This also marked the third time I saw Harding this week (or fourth). The schedule works out like that some times.
MATCH 1:
ST. PAUL HARDING knights 7, BURNSVILLE blaze 0
Harding swept Burnsville 7-0 and the Knights did not lose a game.
The closest contest came in the second game at first doubles as Mai Ngia Xiong and Mor Xiong went way beyond the 21 points in a 26-24 marathon win. They trailed when I first started watching 14-10.FIRST SINGLES
At first singles Mee Xiong after spotting Ciera Hogenson a 2-0 lead had runs on her next four serves in a 21-6 win in game one. In game two it was more of the same as Xiong got into a rhythm. The drop worked for 7 Xiong points in game two.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Xiong 4/7 -.571; Hogenson 2/9-.222
RUNS OF 3+:
Xiong 7, Hogenson 0
POINTS:
Xiong 43* by my count
Winners: 26: Drops 10, Drives 8, Clears 5, Smashes 1, aces 1, soft drives 1
Hogenson Errors 17: hitting 17 (Net 9, Wide 5, Fan 3)
Hogenson 10
Winners 4: Smashes 2, Drives 1, Clears 1
Xiong Errors 6: hitting 5 (Net 3, Wide 1, Deep 1), serving 1 (net 1)
Time: 10:24
SINGLES
1. Mee Xiong (H) beat Ciara Hogenson 21-6, 21-4
2. Stephanie King (H) beat Adrienne Sherman 21-11, 21-10
3. Crystal Yang (H) beat Claire Weiss 21-14, 21-18
4. Alana Yang (H) beat Bea Soderholm 21-11, 21-12
DOUBLES
1. Mai Ngia Xiong/Mor Xiong (H) beat Amy Linblad/Natalie Leiker 21-16, 26-24
2. Gao Thao/Pa Nyia Thao (H) beat Lisa Dennnis/Soogin Moon 21-7, 21-17
3. Chao Xiong/Boa Vang (H) beat Ashley Kolstad/Leah Kolstad 21-15, 21-7
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Harding 4-0 1.000
Games: Harding 8-0 1.000
Points: Harding 168-86 .661
decided by 10+: Harding 5-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Harding 1-0
DOUBLES
matches: Harding 3-0 1.000
games: Harding 6-0 1.000
points: Harding 131-86 .604
decided by 10+: Harding 2-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Harding 1-0 1.000
MATCH 2:
ST. PAUL HARDING knights 5, EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 2
Harding beat Eden Prairie by taking all matches but the first singles and first doubles. This was a tighter contest than indicated. At third singles Crystal Yang edged out Zyue Chen in two, but it took an extra point in each game to secure the win. Second doubles also had a tight beginning for Gao Thao and Pa Nyia Thao at 21-19.
Eden Prairie took both firsts, but they were contested also. Katie Vohoutka slipped past Mee Xiong at singles with a 22-20 margin in the first game. EP's first doubles duo of Becca Wade and Larysa Eteneuer was the only match that went three games. The Eagles pair won the first game, fell in the second and took the third.
FIRST SINGLESThis was the most interesting of the three singles matches today. Xiong started off with a three point run. Vohnoutka answered right back with a run of three on her own. She added another three run after a Xiong side out to make it 6-4. Xiong took advantage of three errors to take an 11-9 lead. The smash game kicked in for Vohnoutka with three straight points off smashes to make it 15-13. Xiong tied it at 15 and the game w
as tied three more times, the last at 20. Vohnoutka was on the verge at 20-19, but a shot that sailed wide tied it up at 20. Vohnoutka ended the first game with two straight smashes.The EP Senior used that momentum to launch game two with five straight points (again with three smashes). The Side out game was controlled by Vohnoutka .750 in this game. She also had two more runs. Xiong got close with a five point run to make it 12-10. Most were hitting errors on drop attempts or smash attempts by Vohnoutka. Xiong served deep and the momentum shifted back to Vohnoutka. She had an 8-3 run to finish.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Vohnoutka 12/20 .600; Xiong 8/20-.400
RUNS OF 3+:
Vohnoutka 6, Xiong 3
POINTS:
Vohnoutka 43
Winners 27: Smashes 18, Clears 6, Drops 1, Soft Drives 1, Drives 1
Xiong Errors 16: hitting 14 (Net 6, Wide 3, Deep 3, Fans 2), serving 2 (Deep 2)
Xiong 33
Winners: 12: Drives 5, Smashes 2, Clears 2, Soft Drives 1, Aces 1, Drops 1
Vohnoutka Errors 21: hitting 21 (Net 11, Wide 5, Deep 3, Fan 2)
Time: 14:40
SINGLES
1. Katie Vohnoutka (EP) beat Mee Xiong 22-20, 21-13
2. Stephanie King (H) beat Nicky Wade 21-16, 21-8
3. Crystal Yang (H) beat Zyue Chen 22-20, 22-20
4. Alana Yang (H) beat Janet Stewart 21-12, 21-7
DOUBLES
1. Becca Wade/Larysa Eteneuer (EP) beat Mai Ngia Xiong/Mor Xiong (H) 21-7, 16-21, 21-15
2. Gao Thao/Pa Nyia Thao (H) beat Samantha Klemp/Heather Blake 21-19, 21-12
3. Chao Xiong/Boa Vang (H) beat Cailin Hawkins/Victoria Phoung 21-11, 21-15
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Harding 3-1 .750
Games: Harding 6-2 .750
Points: Harding 161-126 .561
decided by 10+: Harding 2-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Harding 2-1 .667
DOUBLES
matches: Harding 2-1 .667
games: Harding 5-2 .714
points: Harding 127-115 .525
decided by 10+: Eden Prairie 1-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Harding 1-0 1.000
MATCH 3
EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 7, BURNSVILLE blaze 0
Eden Prairie swept host Burnsville in the final match 7-0. The tightest contests came at doubles with EP's 2nd doubles Samantha Klemp and Heather Blake dropping the first game before bouncing back and winning the next two; and Cailin Hawkins and Victoria Phoung pulling the same trick at third doubles. They needed to go extra points in game two to tie it up.
FIRST SINGLES 
Vohnoutka broke free from a 7-5 game with a 12-0 run in game one. Once again the smash was working as the EP senior had 9 for the first game.
Vohnoutka controlled the side out game in game two. She did not have such a massive run in game two, and the smashes weren't as frequent, but the results were similar. Her biggest run was a six point margin taking her from an 11-7 lead to 17-7. The Smash did return for the final point.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Vohnoutka 12/15-.800; Hogenson 6/15-.400
RUNS OF 3+:
Vohnoutka 5, Hogenson 1
POINTS:
Vohnoutka 42
Winners 22: Smashes 14, Drives 5, Clears 2, Soft Drives 1
Hogenson Errors 20: hitting 17 (Net 8, Wides 6, Deep 2, Fan 1), serving 3 (Deep 2, Net 1)
Hogenson 18
Winners: 5: Clears 2, Drops 2, Smashes 1
Vohnoutka Errors 13: hitting 12 (Deep 5, Net 4, Wide 3); Serving 1 (wide)
Time: 11:10
SINGLES
1. Katie Vohnoutka (EP) beat Ciara Hogenson 21-7, 21-11
2. Nicky Wade (EP) beat Adrienne Sherman 21-14, 21-19
3. Zyue Chen (EP) beat Claire Weiss 21-17, 21-14
4. Janet Stewart (EP) beat Bea Soderholm 21-13, 21-13
DOUBLES
1. Becca Wade/Larysa Eteneuer (EP) beat Amy Linblad/Natalie Leiker 21-14, 21-14
2. Samantha Klemp/Heather Blake (EP) beat Lisa Dennnis/Soogin Moon 18-21, 21-18, 21-14
3. Cailin Hawkins/Victoria Phoung (EP) beat Ashley Kolstad/Leah Kolstad 13-21, 23-21, 21-8
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Eden Prairie 4-0 1.000
Games: Eden Prairie 8-0 1.000
Points: Eden Prairie 168-108 .609
decided by 10+: Eden Prairie 1-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Eden Prairie 1-0 1.000
DOUBLES
matches: Eden Prairie 3-0 1.000
games: Eden Prairie 6-2 .750
points: Eden Prairie 159-131 .548
decided by 10+: Eden Prairie 1-0 1.000
decided by 3-: Eden Prairie 2-1 .667
Next up: tomorrow
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Out & About: St. Paul Harding/St. Paul Johnson
your daily dose of girls basketball news & information
ST. PAUL HARDING knights 4,
ST. PAUL JOHNSON governors 3
The Harding Knights turned the tables on Johnson 4-3 in a revenge match between the two east side rivals. Harding split the singles and took two of the three doubles reversing the first meeting of the year between the two. Only one match went three games and that was won by Johnson at second singles as Goly Yang bounced back to take game three after winning game one. There were a couple of matches at doubles that went to extra points (or point). Both of those extra point games were in the second game and both at the first two doubles. Each team won a match in that manner.
FIRST SINGLESI arrived with the score 10-4 for Mee Xiong of Harding. Pang Thao was slotted in first singles for the first time when I was watching. Her mobility appeared to be an issue as Xiong had five drops with Thao conceding those shots in the first six points I saw from Xiong. Xiong had runs of four twice and also had 3/4 side outs in the abbreviated first game stats.
Both players had six straight side outs to start the game.
Two of the first points for Harding came on Thao serving errors. Xiong broke open the game with five straight points to take an 8-3 lead. Thao came back with a four point run including the side out to make it 10-9. The problem was Thao only was able to get the side out half the time in game two. Xiong used the drop to start another three point run. Thao had one more run of her own to cut it to 16-13. The Drop again stopped Thao and Xiong didn't give the bird back with six straight points to finish the contest. When I saw the game Xiong had 7 drops for winning points.FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
keep in mind this is when I saw the action, not the entire match.
SIDEOUTS:
Xiong 8/11-.727; Thao 5/12-.417
POINT RUNS OF 3+:
Xiong 6, Thao 2
POINTS:
Xiong 35
Winners 16: Drops 7, Smashes 5, Drives 3, Clears 1
Thao Errors 23: hitting 22 (Net 11, Wide 6, Drive 5); serving 1 (deep 1)
Unknown: 3 (when I was trying to get situated, or got caught looking down)
Thao 17
Winners 7: Drives 2, Smashes 2, Soft Drives 1, Clears 1, Drops 1
Khoua Errors 9: hitting 9 (Net 7, Wide 2)
SECOND SINGLESHarding's Stephanie King led early in game one 6-2 with five straight points helped out by a pair of clears. Goly Yang had her own streak of 7 during a 13-4 run. Yang had three drops in the mix. Two of Yang's points came off King's missed serve. King rallied to 17-15 on a 6-2 run again. Yang used a clear , and then served an ace to inch closer to game one victory. The fact that Yang was able to get six side outs in the first game helped secure the win.
King again led early in game two 5-1 This time it was King that ruled the side out game with five in the seven Yang chances this game. K
ing also used runs to full effect. She had four in this game. Yang did close to 10-7 but King finished the contest with an 11-2 run to knot the contest up one apiece.By this time Harding had secured the win with four points. Still this was a fiercely contested match. The serve rotations came to 11, the most of any of the three games. The King pattern of leading early didn't hold in this game. Yang led 4-2 with drops for three points. It soon became a game of runs. The next four serving sequences all had runs. The side out game had evaporated. Yang had a run of two to stop the rampant run game. Yang was the first to get a side out after six services. The contest shifted over to a side out game for the next five serves. Yang was able to break free for one point on her 7th serve. The advantage held the rest of the game. Yang ended the game with a smash.
The odd thing in this match was King outpointed Yang 53-51 in the three games. Also King had four more 3+ runs. However Yang trumped King in sideout % and in winners 27-21.
SECOND SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Yang 14/26-.538; King 13/28-.464
POINT RUNS OF 3+:
King 8, Yang 4
POINTS:
Yang 51
Winners 27: Drops 9, Clears 5, Smashes 5, Drives 5, Aces 2, Soft Drives 1
King errors 24: Hitting 20 (Wide 9, Net 7, Deep 4); Serving 4 (Wide 3, Short 1)
King 53
Winners 21: Clears 8, Drives 4, Drops 3, Smashes 3, Soft drives 2, Aces 1
Yang errors: 32: Hitting 31 (Net 10, Wide 9, Deep 7, Fans 5) Serves 1 (wide 1)
SINGLES
1. Mee Xiong (H) beat Pang Thao 21-9, 21-14
2. Goly Yang (J) beat Stephanie King 21-16, 8-21, 21-16
3. Olamade Fudahunsi (J) beat Crystal Yang 21-16, 21-4
4. Kazoua Yang (H) beat Chia Lor 21-17, 21-15
DOUBLES
1. Kia Thao/Belick Pha (J) beat Mai Ngia Xiong/Mor Xiong 21-16, 22-20
2. Chao Xiong/Pa Nhia Vang (H) beat Mai Thao/Sheng Thao 21-15, 22-20
3. Gao Thao/Pa Nyia Thao (H) beat Shoua Vang/Kou Nou Chang 21-13, 21-15
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Harding 2-2 .500
Games: Harding 5-4 .556
Points: Harding 157-147 .516
decided by 10+: Harding 2-1 .667
decided by 3-: 0-0
DOUBLES
matches: Harding 2-1 .667
games: Harding 4-2 .667
points: Harding 121-106 .533
decided by 10+: 0-0
decided by 3-: 1-1
Next up: tomorrow
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday Results
#1 posting 4.22.2008
badminton news & information
MONDAY RESULTS
In Minneapolis it was Edison sweeping Roosevelt 7-0 and North topping Southwest 5-2. The Polars now have three wins on the year while the Tommies have eight.
In St. Paul it was Humboldt beating Arlington 4-3. It was the Hawks second win on the year. Also I reported on the Harding 6-1 win over Highland Park last night (before the storm). I will get the photos up later today (the storm prevented that action).
In a non conference match Minneapolis South beat Burnsville 4-3. South is undefeated so far this year.
On Friday Como Park beat Humboldt 4-3.
I glanced at the schedule and did not see any scheduled matches today, so the out & abouts will take a day off.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Out & About: St. Paul Harding/St. Paul Highland Park
badminton news & information
ST. PAUL HARDING knights 6,
ST. PAUL HIGHLAND PARK scots 1
St. Paul Harding hosted Highland Park and beat the Scots 6-1. HP won at first singles in three games, while Harding took the rest in two games. The Knights were able to score on six of every 10 points today. Earlier this year Harding won 5-2. Last time HP won at 3rd doubles. Harding has a rough schedule this week with Johnson on Wednesday, and then a triangular at Burnsville on Thursday with Eden Prairie too.
Today was scheduled as a triangular, but Minneapolis South was at Burnsville and will take on Harding on the 30th of April instead.
FIRST SINGLES
Khoua Xiong beat Mee Xiong in three and was the only HP point on the day. Mee Xiong had more total points in the match and a better side out percentage, but Khoua Xiong was able to rally in games one and two to take the match.In game one, Harding's Mee Xiong led 7-3 after getting four straight side outs. On Khoua's fifth serve she was able to squeeze out three points. Mee broke a 9 all tie with three straight. The key turning point in game one came on Khoua's 8th serve when she added 8 points to her totals and take a 19-13 lead. Both players were using the full court, and rallies went back and forth. Khoua served wide to give the ball back to Mee. She added two more to her totals to make it 19-16. The rest of the game was a side out game with Khoua ending up on top 21-17.
Game two belonged totally to Mee. Mee trailed 7-6 when she ran off six straight on her 6th serve. That put the lead at 13-7. She finished with an 8-2 run. Mee's side out game shut down any Khoua surge. Khoua was only able to get two points off her serve and only had two winners in that game.
In the last game Mee led off where she left off with the first three points, all on Khoua hitting errors. Khoua got the bird back on a back handed hitting error in the net. She then added four points on her serve. There were seven ties up to 11 all. Khoua broke free after a 5-1 run thanks to the clear shot. Three of the five points were clears, and had 11 clears for the entire match. Mee got the bird back after a wide Khoua serve. Mee Xiong served up four points to go back in front 17-16. Khoua took the lead at 19-17 with an ace in a three point run. Mee matched her with three straight and on the verge at 20-19 after a drop. Khoua Xiong got the 20th point on her own drop shot and then never gave the bird back. She used a drive and then, for the final point, delivered an ace deep.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Khoua 13/27 .481; Mee 16/27-.593
POINT RUNS OF 3+:
Khoua 7, Mee 9
POINTS:
Khoua 53
Winners 30: Clears 11, Aces 6, Drives 6, Drops 4, Smashes 2, Soft Drives 1
Mee Errors 23: hitting 22 (Net 11, Wide 6, Drive 5); serving 1 (deep 1)
Mee 58
Winners 21: Drops 8, Drives 7, Clears 3, Smashes 1, Aces 1, unknown 1
Khoua Errors 37: hitting 32 (Net 22, Deep 5, Wide 4, Fan 1), serving 5 (wide 3, deep 1, Net 1)
Time: 20:49
FOURTH SINGLES
After that the 4th singles took the court. Harding
's Kazoua Yang won in two over Nhu Richards. One key difference between the two was Yang was able to garner seven three point runs to Richards' one. Also the side out game worked in favor of Yang.In the first game Richards led 2-0 before Yang got on the board. Richards tied it at 5 and that was the final time it was close. Yang ran off five straight to make it 10-5. Yang had two more long runs in that victory.
In game two Richards led again 2-0 and again at 4-2. Once again Yang was able to squeeze runs off her serve. Yang led 13-7 after her fifth serve. Richards had more staying power in this game with a 5-1 run and being able to close the margin to 15-13. Service errors plagued Richards with three in this game and five for the match. That is what stopped her serve run at 15-13, and it also finished the contest.
You also can see the difference in side out %, and points off errors with the first singles. The number of winners tended to be lower.
FOURTH SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Yang 7/15 .467; Richards 5/16 .313
POINT RUNS OF 3+:
Yang 7, Richards 1
POINTS:
Yang 42
Winners 16: Drops 4, Smashes 3, Clears 3, Aces 2, Drives 2
Richards Errors 27: hitting 22 (Net 12, Wide 7, Deep 3); serving 5 (Wide 3, Deep 2)
Richards 24
Winners 6: Soft Drives 2, Clears 2, Drives 1, Smashes 1
Yang Errors 18: hitting 16 (Deep 8, Net 7, Wide 1 ), serving 5 (wide 1, deep 1)
SINGLES
1. Khoua Xiong (HP) beat Mee Xiong 21-17, 10-21, 22-20
2. Stephanie King (H) beat Micha Everts 21-15, 21-7
3. Crystal Yang (H) beat Mai Yia Moua 21-9, 21-17
4. Kazoua Yang (H) beat Nhu Richards 21-9, 21-16
DOUBLES
1. Mai Ngia Xiong/Mor Xiong (H) beat Pa Kou Lor/Drew Thao 21-12, 21-11
2. Chao Xiong/Pa Nhia Vang (H) beat Grace Moran/Alison Cole 21-19, 21-15
3. Alana Yang/Pa Nyia Thao (H) beat Seng Lee/Pa Ying Moua 21-12, 21-17
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Harding 3-1 .750
Games: Harding 7-2 .778
Points: Harding 184-126 .594
decided by 10+: Harding 4-0
decided by 3 or less: Highland Park 1-0
DOUBLES
matches: Harding 3-0 1.000
games: Harding 6-0 1.000
points: Harding 126-86 .594
decided by 10+: Harding 1-0
decided by 3: Harding 1-0
Next up: tomorrow
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Friday Results
#1 posting 4.20.2008
badminton news & information
FRIDAY RESULTS
I reported on the Johnson 5-2 win over Central on Friday.
Also Friday it was Arlington topping Highland Park 4-3. I had Arlington #4 in my Friday poll with Arlington #10. Arlington is now 2-7 on the year. The Phoenix are 1-3 in 4-3 games this year. HP is 4-3 on the year and 3-1 in 4-3 games.
There was no word on the Como Park vs Humboldt match.
NEXT WEEK
Harding has three days of quality competition with two triangulars sandwiching the rematch with Johnson. On Monday there is a triangular at Harding with Highland Park and Mpls South, the city leader on the west side. On Wednesday is the Johnson match. Thursday there is one more triangular at Burnsville with the Blaze and Eden Prairie.
Next up: Monday
Friday, April 18, 2008
Out & About: Johnson/Central
#2 posting 4.18.2008
badminton news & information
ST. PAUL JOHNSON governors 5,
ST. PAUL CENTRAL minutemen 2
In the last first round match in the St. Paul conference it was Johnson maintaining their undefeated streak at 9-0 with a 5-2 win over host Central. Johnson took three of the singles, and a pair of doubles in the victory. Three matches went the distance and Johnson took two of those. There weren't many matches that were open and shut. At fourth singles Central moved Aranya Thao up from JV first singles. For Johnson, Pang Thao returned to action, but with a bandaged knee and at second singles. She won in three games taking the first game, falling in the second and then taking the third. With Thao moving to second singles that meant that Kia Thao returned to first doubles with partner Shoua Vang after being split up against Eden Prairie. That duo lost in three however to Central's Doua Thao and Da Chang. The Central pair had to win the final two games for the win.
I barely made it to the game on time thanks to the rain with the highways jammed more than normal. On top of that the door to the gym was locked so I had to go around trying to find the open door. Also I had to dodge the Central track team practicing in the hall ways.
FIRST SINGLES
Johnson's Goly Yang won in two games, but my numbers in game one an
d the final score were off in game one. In game two the numbers agreed. Yang had a 7-2 lead early in the first game after a five point serve. Chang cut it to 10-7 after her 5th serve. Chang used a five point service on her 6th serve to take a 13-12 lead. All five points came via Yang hitting errors. Chang held leads at 14-12, and 16-14. After a Yang soft drive for a side out she added two points to regain the lead at 17-16. Chang got the bird back and then had what appeared to be a three point serve to get to 20-17. However there may have been a do over on point 19 as one of the doubles team tumbled and rolled onto the court. If that was the case then it was 19-17. After that point it was 5-2 for Yang and she walked off the court with a 24-22 win. My numbers had 22-22. If you take away the tumble then it is 22-21 in favor of Yang. The first game lasted 9:29.
In game two Yang rode the momentum and only trailed at 1-0. After that Yang was able to squeeze points on her 3rd through 6th serve. It was 12-8 after her 6th serve. Yang used drop shots for points five times in game two. Yang had another 3 point run at 16-10. Then it was a side out game with 7 straight side outs. Chang breathed new life into her game with three points including an ace at point 17 to make it 19-17. Yang stopped the run with a drive to make it 20-17. Chang came up with a clear in the corner to make it 20-18. On her serve Yang got the final point on a Chang hit that went wide.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Yang 14/23-.609; Chang 11/23-.478
RUNS OF 3+:
Yang 5, Chang 4
POINTS:
Yang 43
Winners 17: Drops 9, Soft Drives 3, Drives 2, Smashes 2, Clears 1
Chang Errors 26: hitting 23 (Wide 10, Net 8, Deep 4, Fan 1), serving 3 (short 1, Deep 1, Wide 1)
Chang 40
Winners 15: Drops 4, Clears 4, Smashes 3, Drives 2, Soft Drives 1, Aces 1
Yang Errors: 23: Hitting 23 (Net 11, Wide 8, Drives 3, Fans 1), Serving 2 (deep 2)
Time: 18:22 minutes
OTHER MATCHES
After that my attention shifted one court to my right with first doubles. It was tied at 1-1 and the first few points of the third game already had been tallied. The Central duo of Thao and Chang led early and maintained their advantage throughout the final frame. The Johnson pair had a three point run to close to 14-12, but they never got closer. Central used drives to finish the match with the final two points after the Johnson closed one final time to 19-17. Six of the last eight Central points came off drives.
After that the match was 2-2. But Central wasn't going to get another victory.
SINGLES
1. Goly Yang (J) beat Yer Chang 24-22, 21-18
2. Pang Thao (J) beat Kari Finseth 21-14, 17-21, 21-16
3. Ka Yang (C) beat Belick Pha 21-12, 21-18
4. Olamade Fudahunsi (J) beat Aranya Thao 21-11, 21-12
DOUBLES
1. Melissa Vang/Nitsan Chang (C) beat Kia Thao/Shoua Vang 20-22, 21-17, 21-17
2. Ma Thao Xiong/Sheng Tha (J) beat Malinda Xiong/Mai See Xiong 18-21, 21-14, 21-15
3. Cha Lor/Hlee Vang (J) beat Mai Sia Yang/Phoua Xiong 21-17, 21-17
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Johnson 3-1 .750
Games: Johnson 7-2 .778
Points: Johnson 176-154 .533
decided by 10+: Johnson 1-0
decided by 3 or less: 1-1
DOUBLES
matches: Johnson 2-1 .667
games: Johnson 5-3 .625
points: Johnson 158-146 .520
decided by 10+: 0-0
decided by 3-: 1-1
Next up: tomorrow morning
Rankings (Finally), Births and Anthems
#1 posting 4.18.2008
badminton news & information
THURSDAY RESULTS
I have been remiss in my updating duties. I think I have the problems under control and the systems set up right now.
In Minneapolis last night (or afternoon) it was Edison over Washburn and South over Roosevelt by the same scores 6-1. I reported on the Henry 5-2 win over North last night.
ODDS & ENDS
Henry Coach Miller's wife is due to give birth today. It will be the first child for the pair.
I failed to mention that on Monday at Eden Prairie before the Johnson match the National Anthem was sung by a few of the EP girls. It was the first time I remember hearing the NA at any badminton match ever. They did an outstanding job and ranks up their with the best I have seen/heard in all my other sports I cover.
RANKINGS
I think I got a handle on this now, but this is the rankings
1. Johnson
2. Harding
3. Eden Prairie
4. Highland Park
5. Central
6. Burnsville
7. South
8. Como Park
9. Edison
10. Arlington
11. Humboldt
12. Henry
13. Southwest
14. North
15. Washburn
16. Roosevelt
Next up: later today with an out & about
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Out & About: Henry/North
badminton news & information
MINNEAPOLIS HENRY patriots 5
MINNEAPOLIS NORTH polars 2
Henry beat neighbor North 5-2 in a Minneapolis conference game on Thursday. The Patriots swept the singles and took 3rd doubles to put together their win. Three of the matches went the distance with Henry taking both singles and North taking the doubles. Henry rallied in second and fourth singles falling in the first game and bouncing back to take the last two. North also rallied at first doubles losing the first game before storming back to take the last two.
SINGLESNormal first singles Yer Yang for Henry missed the event due to prior commitments. Her Replacement Hnia Yang beat Foua Khang in two games. Yang had 11 smashes in the two games as she took adva
ntage of birds Khang was forced to give her. In game one Khang had the early lead at 2-0, but that was the only lead in that game. Yang had four straight points, and didn't look back. Khang was only able to get two side outs in the first game. On the flip side Yang had seven side outs against Khang. Yang used six drops for points in game one including point 21.Khang again led in game two at 1-0. After a side out Yang ran off six straight points with three smashes in the mix. Khang did close to 9-7. Yang broke free again with six straight points to make it 18-10. Three smashes were part of that six point equation.
1st SINGLES BY THE NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Yang 10/16-.625; Khang 6/17-.353
3+ POINT RUNS:
Yang 7, Khang 1
POINTS:
Yang 42
Winners: 30: Smashes 11, Drops 6, Drives 6, Soft Drives 3, Clears 3, Aces 1
Khang Errors 12: hitting 11 (Net 9, wide 1, fan 1); serving 1 (wide 1)
Khang 23
Winners 6: Aces 2, Smashes 1, Drives 1, soft Drive 1, Clears 1
Yang Errors 17: hitting 15 (wide 8, net 7), serving 2 (wide 2)
Time: 12:50 minutes
FIRST DOUBLES
I was able to watch the third game at first doubles. Phoua Khang and Vang Khang picked up momentum on the third service with four straight points to make it 9-4. Hitting errors combined with the North's duo side out game gave Khang and Khang a 21-13.
SINGLES
1. Hnia Yang (H) beat Foua Khang 21-11, 21-12
2. Choua Pha (H) beat Mee Khang 16-21, 21-7, 21-9
3. Maa Pha (H) beat Pa Kou Pha 21-15, 21-10
4. Mena Vue (H) beat Mai Nhia Yang 20-22, 21-13, 21-11
DOUBLES
1. Phoua Khang/Vang Khang (N) beat Neng Vang/See Thao 16-21, 21-18, 21-14
2. Jaime Lee/Amanda Seline (N) beat Kabao Yang/Nhia Xiong 23-21, 21-11
3. Lakresha Williams/Sheng Xiong (H) beat Xue Vang/See Lee 21-11, 21-18
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Henry 4-0 1.000
Games: Henry 8-2 .800
Points: Henry 204-131 .609
decided by 10+: Henry 5-0
decided by 3 or less: North 1-0
DOUBLES
matches: North 2-1 .667
games: North 4-3 .571
points: North 131-127 .508
decided by 10+: 1-1
decided by 3: North 2-1 .667
Next up: tomorrow morning
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Out & About: Highland Park/Central
#1 posting 4.16.2008
badminton news & information
ST. PAUL HIGHLAND PARK scots 4
ST PAUL CENTRAL minutemen 3
Highland Park edged Central 4-3 and it all came down to the last match at 4th singles. HP took the second game by the exact same score as the first in a 21-19 win to beat the visitors. HP took three of the four singles and 2nd doubles to piece together their win. Most contests were over in two sets. The only match that went three games was at second singles with Kari Finseth winning the final set by the narrow margin of 21-19.
FIRST SINGLES
Khoua Xiong beat Yer Chang in two games 21-11 and 21-13.
Xiong used the soft, off speed drive for the first three points of the first game and a potent scoring off her own serve. Chang could not get a side out on any of Xiong's eight serves in game one. Xiong built a lead of 9-3 when Chang had a rally, scoring of two of her serves to cut the margin to 13-8
. Xiong finished with an 8-3 run. The soft drive came up for 7 points in the first game.
In game two continued her point gathering on her serve. Chang got her first side out on Xiong's fifth serve. By that time Xiong led 10-5. The favored point in this game was the drop. Xiong also benefited from Chang hitting errors. Most were sailing deep. Xiong pushed her lead out to 19-9. (My scoring indicates game two was 22-12). A missed serve gave the bird back to Chang. She was able to get a few more points. The match ended on a back hand drop shot.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Xiong 12/18-.667; Chang 3/19-.158
SERVE RUNS OF 3+:
Xiong 3, Chang
POINTS:
Xiong 42
Winners: 26 Soft Drives 10, Smashes 6, Drops 5, Aces 2, Drives 2, Clears 1
Chang Errors 17: hitting 14 (Deep 7, Net 4, Wide 3); serving 3 (wide 2, deep 1)
Chang 24
Winners 12: Soft Drives 4, Clears 3, Drives 2, Drops 2, Aces 1
Xiong Errors 11: hitting 8 (wide 5, net 3), serving 3 (wide 2, deep 1)
Time: 12:30
SINGLES
1. Khoua Xiong (HP) beat Yer Chang 21-11, 21-13
2. Kari Finseth (C) beat Micha Everts 21-14, 14-21, 21-19
3. Elena Kronmiller (HP) beat Ka Yang 21-14, 21-8
4. Nhu Richards (HP) beat Dawn Vang 21-19, 21-19
DOUBLES
1. Melissa Vang/Nitsan Chang (C) beat Pa Kou Lor/Drew Thao 21-17, 21-8
2. Grace Moran/Alison Cole (HP) beat Elizabeth Yang/Bao Lee 21-15, 21-10
3. Mai Sia Yang/Phoua Xiong (C) beat Seng Lee/Pa Ying Moua 21-16, 21-17
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Highland Park 3-1 .750
Games: Highland Park 7-2 .778
Points: Highland Park 180-140 .563
decided by 10+: Highland Park 2-0
decided by 3 or less: Highland Park 2-1
DOUBLES
matches: Central 2-1 .667
games: Central 4-2 .667
points: Central 109-100 .522
decided by 10+: 1-1
decided by 3: 0-0
Next up: tomorrow morning
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Out & About: Mpls Southwest/Mpls Roosevelt
#2 posting 4.15.2008
badminton news & information
MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST lakers 4
MINNEAPOLIS ROOSEVELT teddies 3
I have seen all the teams now. Southwest was the last team on the list and the contest today went down to the wire. The SW doubles pair of Chloe Waryan and Mikayla McNally won game three at third doubles to put the Lakers over the top. Three matches went to three games. Roosevelt tied it up after a marathon third game won by Padao Yang 28-26 over Claire Nelson in game three at fourth singles. Southwest swept the doubles however and added a win at first singles with Madeline Hunsicker for the 4-3 win.
SINGLES
Madeline Hunsicker of Southwest used her height advantage to good effect in a 21-12, 21-9 win over Tania Rojas. This was the only SW win in the singles department, and essential in their 4-3 win. The key factor in this game was the long serve runs by Hunsicker. Both players had similar sideout percentages, but Hunsicker had serve runs of 4, 5, and another
5 in game one. Rojas never got that kind of traction on her serve. Hunsicker used a mix of shots starting off with points off drives. She then used the drops and used smashes when the opportunity presented itself. Hunsicker led 15-7 after her 5th service. Rojas did cut into that lead to 16-11, but Hunsicker, once she got the bird back, scored the last six points to win 21-12.
Hunsicker used the smash more in game two. She didn't quite have as many service runs, but had one monster run of 9 on her fourth service. After she was done with her serve it was 14-5. In that run Hunsicker had 3 smashes for points. Rojas was able to close to 15-7. Hunsicker closed with a 6-2 run to wrap up the win.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Hunsicker 6/13-.462; Rojas 6/14-.429
SERVE RUNS of 3+:
Hunsicker 4, Rojas 0
POINTS:
Hunsicker 42
Winners: 25: Drives 9, Drops 8, Smashes 7, Clears 1
Rojas Errors 18: hitting 15 (Net 10, Wide 4, Deep 2, Fan 2)
Rojas 20
Winners 13: Drives 4, Drops 4, Smashes 3, Clears 2
Hunsicker Errors 7: hitting 6 (Wide 4, Fan 1, Net 1), serving 1 (wide 1)
Time: 13:15 minutes
SINGLES
1. Madeline Hunsicker (SW) beat Tania Rojas 21-12, 21-9
2. Tenzing Khendu (R) beat Ashley Bielinski 21-9, 21-13
3. Marisol Rojas (R) beat Karin Hamnes 21-4, 21-14
4. Padao Yang (R) beat Claire Nelson 21-19, 8-21, 28-26
DOUBLES
1. Martha Streng/Alba Bilani (SW) beat Maria Alivilar/Cindy Lee 21-6, 21-9
2. Alyssa Clark/Bridget Johnson (SW) beat Murong Cha/Jenny Vang 21-13, 19-21, 21-16
3. Chloe Waryan/Mikayla McNally (SW) beat Che Thao/Mai Yang Vang 9-21, 23-21, 21-17
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Roosevelt 3-1 .750
Games: Roosevelt 6-3 .667
Points: Roosevelt 162-148 .523
decided by 10+: 2-2
decided by 3 or less: Roosevelt 2-0 1.000
DOUBLES
matches: Southwest 3-0 1.000
games: Southwest 6-2 .750
points: Southwest 156-124 .557
decided by 10+: Southwest 2-1 .667
decided by 3-: 1-1 .500
Next up: tomorrow morning
Monday Results
#1 posting 4.15.2008
badminton news & information
MONDAY RESULTS
Besides the St. Paul Johnson 5-2 over Eden Prairie, the action was in St. Paul--
Harding beat Arlington 6-1.
Central also won 6-1 with Humboldt the victim.
Highland Park edged Como Park 4-3.
Next up: another out & about---with Southwest, the final team I haven't seen.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Out & About: St. Paul Johnson/Eden Prairie
badminton news & information
ST. PAUL JOHNSON governors 5
EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 2
In a non conference match in the suburbs it was the undefeated St. Paul Johnson Governors beating Eden Prairie. Johnson swept the season series with EP. The Govs won the first meeting in St. Paul 6-1. Johnson swept all three doubles, but two of the contests went the full three games. In the singles department Johnson won at second and third. Katie Vohountka at first singles and Alycia Willey at fourth pulled out wins for EP.
Both teams were not a full strength. For Johnson their first singles Pang Thao was gone and so Goly Yang moved up to first singles and Johnson broke up their first doubles team of Kia Thao and Shoua Vang. Thao moved to second singles and Vang was paired up with a new partner--Kou Nou Chang at third doubles. Eden Prairie's first doubles were not in action again. This time it was Becca Wade absent due to illness. Larysa Eteneuer was back from her trip.
FIRST SINGLESKatie Vohnoutka kept her winning updated with a 21-10, 21-19 win over Goly Yang who had moved up to first singles. Game one Vohnoutka had a side out % of .778. Part of that was the fact that Yang started off with two service errors. The EP Eagle had a 11-4 lead. The game moved into a 8 point trade off. Vohnoutka broke the stalemate with two straight aces after getting the side out on a smash. Vohnoutka ended the night with a 7-2 run.
Game two was much more competitive with Yang adjusti
ng to the size of Vohnoutka. Vohnoutka started off with the first two points. Yang matched her with the next two. Yang took the lead at 8-7 with two straight points. Both players were not in the side out mode. Both were able to squeeze at least one point off the serve. Yang pulled out in front 13-11 with three straight points. After two traded points, Vohnoutka picked up her first side out on Yang's 7th serve. That started a three point run and the EP senior was back in front 15-14. All in all Vohnoutka had a 7-2 run to pull out 19-16. Yang battled back to 20-19 after a clear. Vohnoutka won the contest after a Yang hit sailed deep. FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Vohnoutka 11/20-.550; Yang 7/20-.350
RUNS OF 3+:
Vohnoutka 6, Yang 1
POINTS:
Vohnoutka 42
Winners: 22: Smashes 9, Drops 5, Clears 4, Drives 2, Aces 2
Yang Errors 20: hitting 16 (Deep 6, Wide 5, Net 5); serving 4 (Short 2, Net 1, Deep 1)
Yang 29
Winners 20: Drives 6, Clears 6, Drops 5, Smashes 3
Vohnoutka Errors 9: hitting 8 (Net 3, Wide 3, Deep 1, Fan 1), serving 1 (short 1)
Time: 12 minutes
SINGLES
1. Katie Vohnoutka (EP) beat Goly Yang 21-10, 21-19
2. Kia Thao (J) beat Nicky Wade 21-12, 21-8
3. Belick Pha (J) beat Zyue Chen 22-24, 26-24, 21-9
4. Alycia Willey (EP) beat Olamade Fudahunsi 21-18, 21-17
DOUBLES
1. Ma Thao Xiong/Sheng Tha (J) beat Samantha Klemp/Heather Blake 21-23, 21-13, 21-17
2. Cha Lor/Hlee Vang (J) beat Morgan Woodrow/Laura Stone 21-13, 21-16
3. Shoua Vang/Kou Nou Chang (J) beat Cailin Hawkins/Victoria Phoung 21-15, 17-21, 21-18
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: 2-2 .500
Games: Eden Prairie 5-4 .556
Points: Johnson 175-161 .521
decided by 10+: Johnson 2-1 .667
decided by 3 or less: 2-2 .500
DOUBLES
matches: Johnson 3-0 1.000
games: Johnson 6-2 .750
points: Johnson 164-136 .544
decided by 10+: 0-0 .500
decided by 3-: 1-1 .500
Next up: tomorrow morning
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday Results
#1 posting 4.12.2008
badminton news & information
FRIDAY RESULTS
In the only match scheduled yesterday it was Minneapolis Edison beating host St. Paul Humboldt 4-3 in a 612/651 match. Edison is now 5-2 overall. Humboldt is now 1-4.
next up: the first badminton poll of the year.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday Results
#1 posting 4.11.2008
badminton news & information
THURSDAY RESULTS
Here is what happened in Minneapolis and St. Paul yesterday
MINNEAPOLIS
I reported on North's 4-3 win over Washburn last night.
In other action South beat Henry 5-2 solidifying South's hold on first place.
Edison beat Southwest 5-2 also staying one game behind South in the race for first.
ST. PAUL
Como Park beat Arlington 4-3.
Conference leader Johnson beat Highland Park 6-1.
Harding swept Central 7-0 staying one game back.
next up: tomorrow
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Out & About: Mpls North/Mpls Washburn
#1 posting 4.10.2008
badminton news & information
MINNEAPOLIS NORTH polars 4
MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN millers 3
The weather outside was frightful, but badminton is the luckiest of spring sports in that weather doesn't interfere with action. It is raining turning to snow and traffic was crawling along. I made it to Washburn in plenty of time, but it took over an hour to get back home when in should take 30 minutes or less.
As it was the weather was more favorable to North as they swept the doubles and took fourth singles in a 4-3 win. Only one match went three games and that was at third singles. Paris Koehler won the rubber match and rallied from an 18-16 deficit to win 21-19.
FIRST SINGLES 
Dani Sack of Washburn won both games by identical 21-6 marks. In game one Sack scored on all five of her serves, and each serve garnered at least two points. On the other end, Sack had a .800 side out percentage holding Foua Khang scoreless on her serve the last four times. Sack used drives for 8 points in game one.
In game two Sack opened with six straight and then on her third serve rattled off 8 more for a 16-3 lead. Sack had two straight aces in the second run. Again Sack prevented Khang from scoring on her serve .800 of the time. The time of the whole match barely made 10 minutes.
OTHER MATCHES
After that I caught the tail end of 1st doubles won by the North pair of Phoua Khang and Vang Khang 21-12. That was an identical score too from game one. After that I moved over to 2nd doubles and it was a bit more competitive with North taking the match 21-17. Then it was off to 3rd singles. That was the most compelling match of the day with the contest going three games. I came in with Washburn's Paris Koehler up 8-7. She held a 13-11 lead when North's Pang Lee ran off four straight to lead 15-13. Koehler tied it at 15 and 16. Lee went up 18-16 when Koehler requested a water break. After the return Lee missed her serve. Koehler scored two more to go back in front 19-18. Lee tied it at 19 on a hitting error. Koehler scored the last three (yes it was 22-19 in my book) with the last two on drops. That match didn't affect the outcome of the match as North headed north into the polar landscape with the win.
1st SINGLES BY THE NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Sack 8/10-.800; Khang 3/11-.273
LONGEST SERVE RUNS:
Sack 8, Khang 1
POINTS:
Sack 42
Winners: 21: Drives 11, Drops 4, Aces 3, Clears 2, Smashes 1
Khang Errors 21: hitting 20 (Net 12, Fan 3, Drive 3, Wide 2); serving 1 (deep 1)
Khang 12
Winners 6: Drives 3, Drops 3
Sack Errors 6: hitting 5 (net 2, wide 2, deep 1), serving 1 (deep 1)
Time: 10 minutes
SINGLES
1. Dani Sack (W) beat Foua Khang 21-6, 21-6
2. Maly Yi (W) beat Mee Khang 21-14, 21-12
3. Paris Koehler (W) beat Pang Lee 21-18, 13-21, 21-19
4. Pa Kou Pha (N) beat Sigourney Alexander 21-12, 21-14
DOUBLES
1. Phoua Khang/Vang Khang (N) beat Nicole Weishaar/Xee Vue 21-12, 21-12
2. Jaime Lee/Amanda Seline (N) beat Fartun Hashi/Farhiya Ahmed 21-15, 21-17
3. Xue Vang/See Lee (N) beat Tania Castron-Hernandez/Brenda Campean-Morales 21-10, 21-10
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: North 1-3 .250
Games: North 3-6 .333
Points: North 138-165 .455
decided by 10+: North 0-2 .000
decided by 3 or less: North 0-2 .000
DOUBLES
matches: North 3-0 1.000
games: North 6-0 1.000
points: North 126-76 .624
decided by 10+: North 2-0 1.000
decided by 3-: 0-0
Next up: tomorrow morning
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Out & About: Eden Prairie/St. Paul Highland Park
badminton news & information
EDEN PRAIRIE eagles 5,
ST. PAUL HIGHLAND PARK scots 2
In a non conference match up it was Eden Prairie beating Highland Park 5-2. Again it was a tight contest with four games going the distance, and the Eagles took all four. EP swept the singles and took first doubles in the win. At 2nd and 4th singles, and 1st doubles the Eagles trailed 1-0 before mounting their comeback. EP was missing Larysa Eteneuer at first doubles so their doubles teams were scrambled. Her partner Becca Wade played an exhibition. Samantha Klemp and Heather Blake moved into the first doubles slot and came up with a comeback win.
FIRST SINGLES
The first singles featured a couple of the better players in the state and both didn't disappoint. Eden Prairie's Katie Vohnoutka, with her strength and length, faced off against cagey and quick Highland Park's Khoua Xiong. As an indication of the quality of the contest today Winners out numbered hitting errors combined 58-49. Vohnoutka used her sonic smash for 14 points on her favorite winners. Xiong's favorite was the drive for 10.Vohnoutka's smash made it's appearance on points 2 and 3 as she built a 3-0 lead. Vohnoutka lead 8-4 but a 7-3 run tied it up. There were three ties with the last coming at 15. Two smashes by Vohnoutka followed by two Xiong hitting errors put the EP senior up 19-15. The first game ended (if you didn't guess by now) on a Vohnoutka smash.
Xiong jumped out early with a 9-3 run. Xiong was able to score on all of her serves in this game but one. On her fifth serve she ran up six straight as she built up a 15-6 lead. She had an ace in that mix. Xiong was on the verge at 20-9 when Vohnoutka ran off four point
s on her last serve to make (what I had) 20-14. Drives and drops were featured in her comeback. Xiong won game two when Vohnoutka's serve sailed deep.Game three was tight early. Nine straight side outs combined indicated the level of play. Xiong led 10-8 after two hitting errors. Vohnoutka tied it with two straight. The last time Xiong led was 13-11. Vohnoutka got a side out with a smash and then had three points off Xiong hitting errors. Xiong tied it at 15, but she served deep to put Vohnoutka at the advantage. That started a 4-0 run with a drop to put Vohnoutka up 19-15. Xiong was able bounce back with three straight. Vohnoutka ended the match with a drive.
However in each of the three games I had different scores compared to what was announced. I had Vohnoutka winning game one 20-17. Xiong winning game two 21-14 and Vohnoutka taking the final 20-18.
FIRST SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Vohnoutka 13/30-.433; Xiong 15/29 .517
SERVE RUNS:
Vohnoutka 4, Xiong 6
POINTS:
Vohnoutka 52
Winners: 34: Smashes 14, Drives 10, Drops 9, Clears 1
Xiong Errors 18: hitting 15 (Net 9, wide 6); serving 3 (wide 2, deep 1)
Xiong 55
Winners 24: Drives 10, Drops 7, Smashes 4, Clears 2, Aces 1
Vohnoutka Errors 31: hitting 28 (net 15, wide 10, deep 2, fan 1), serving 3 (deep 2, wide 1)
Time: 19 minutes
SINGLES
1. Katie Vohnoutka (EP) beat Khoua Xiong 21-17, 12-21, 21-18
2. Nicky Wade (EP) beat Micha Everts 15-21, 21-16, 21-18
3. Zyue Chen (EP) beat Mai Yia Moua 21-7, 21-13
4. Alycia Willey (EP) beat Nhu Richards 15-21, 21-18, 21-15
DOUBLES
1. Samantha Klemp/Heather Blake (EP) beat Pa Kou Lor/Drew Thao 19-21, 21-19, 21-14
2. Grace Moran/Alison Cole (HP) beat Morgan Woodrow/Laura Stone 21-17, 21-18
3. Seng Lee/Pa Ying Moua (HP) beat Cailin Hawkins/Victoria Phoung 21-10, 21-11
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Eden Prairie 4-0 1.000
Games: Eden Prairie 8-3 .727
Points: Eden Prairie 210-183 .534
decided by 10+: Eden Prairie 2-0
decided by 3 or less: Eden Prairie 3-0
DOUBLES
matches: Eden Prairie 1-2 .333
games: Eden Prairie 2-5 .286
points: Eden Prairie 117-138 .459
decided by 10+: Eden Prairie 1-2 .333
decided by 3: Eden Prairie 0-2 .000
Next up: tomorrow morning
Tuesday Results
#1 posting 4.9.2008
badminton news & information
TUESDAY RESULTS
Here are the latest results
In Minneapolis, Edison edged Henry 4-3 in a battle of favorites for the Minneapolis title.
South, the strong favorite to repeat this year as city champ, beat Southwest 6-1.
North downed Roosevelt 5-2.
In St. Paul I reported on the tighter than the score indicates Central win over Como Park 6-1 last night. Harding swept Humboldt 7-0 and conference leader Johnson beat Arlington 5-2.
In non conference action it was Eden Prairie sweeping Washburn 7-0 and St. Paul Highland Park edging Burnsville 4-3.
In St. Paul the conference race looks like this:
Johnson 3-0
Central 2-0
Harding 2-1
Highland Park 1-1
Arlington 1-2
Como Park 0-2
Humboldt 0-3
Next up: later today with another out & about
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Out & About: Central/Como Park
Minnesota Badminton News & information
ST. PAUL CENTRAL minutemen 6,
ST. PAUL COMO PARK cougars 1
The spring break is over and Badminton action returned to the courts. Even though the weather outside was cold and more November like, inside the action was heating up. At St. Paul Central it was tight with five matches going the full three game distance. The only matches that were 2-0 came at 4th singles and 3rd doubles, and by the time they took the court Central had four wins. If four points (in the right matches) would have changed the final would have been 4-3 Central. Central came back in two matches after trailing 1-0. Shelly Thao and Ka Neng Vue prevented a Central sweep by taking first doubles for Como Park.
I have now seen 12 of the 16 teams with Johnson, North, Washburn, and Southwest on the to do list.
FIRST SINGLES
This match between the two Yers had rallies, runs, and kept fans on the edge of their seats. Cheng of Central pulled out the last two games to win 2-1. The first two games were split by the identical scores of 21-19.
Cheng had the early advantage in game one 8-4 after a four point serving run. Yang of Como got back in the game by getting three straight side outs against Cheng while scoring on each of her next four serves. A couple of drop points put Yang up 14-11. Yang pushed her lead out to 19-15. Cheng, after getting a key side out, ran off three straight to tie the game at 19. The clear was the favorite winner for Cheng in this game as she tallied four. Yang got the side out on a drive and then took game one on a Cheng hitting error that sailed wide.Just like in game one Cheng raced out to an 8-4 lead. Yang immediately tied it up with four straight points. The game moved into a side out contest with Yang getting five straight while Cheng picked up four of five. Up to that point Yang would hold a one point advantage and then the game would be tied. That changed when Cheng scored on two hitting errors o
n her 11th serve. Cheng kept her side out game in high gear closing out the game six straight. The final point came on a clear. The last two Cheng points in game two came on clears.Game three did not start the same way as the first two. The side out nature of game two, vanished in game three. Only seven combined side outs as opposed to 18 in game two. Cheng had a 4-1 lead, but Yang soon tied it at 4. Yang had an 11-8 advantage after a smash. Cheng regained the lead with four straight points and never gave it up. The game narrowed to 18-17 after two straight Yang points, but a hitting error gave the bird back to Cheng. She had three straight points on her serve. I had a 22-17 finish.
SIDEOUTS:
Cheng 16/34-.471; Yang 18/35-.545
SERVE RUNS:
Cheng 4; Yang 3 (twice)
POINTS:
Cheng 61
Winners: 36: Drops 14, Clears 11, Drives 9, Smashes 2
Yang Errors 26: hitting 24 (net 15, wide 8, fan 1); serving 2 (wide 1, fan 1)
Yang 57
Winners 18: Drives 7, Drops 7, Clears 2, Aces 1, Smashes 1
Cheng errors 39: Hitting 35 (wide 18, net 11, deep 4, fans 2); Serving 4: (net 2, deep 1, wide 1)
Time: 27 minutes.
SINGLES
1. Yer Cheng (C) beat Yer Yang 19-21, 21-19, 21-18
2. Kari Finseth (C) beat Nou Fang 21-11, 18-21, 21-12
3. Ka Yang (C) beat Der Xiong 19-21, 21-19, 21-18
4. Dawn Vang (C) beat Shaundra Worrall 21-11, 21-12
DOUBLES
1. Shelly Thao/KaNeng Vue (CP) beat Doua Thao/Da Chang 21-18, 17-21, 22-20
2. Melinda Xiong/Mai Chia Xiong (C) beat Youa Lee/Xue Yang 21-14, 19-21, 21-8
3. Mai Sia Yang/Phoua Xiong (C) beat Bao Vue/Alynda Her 21-19, 21-13
BY THE NUMBERS
SINGLES
Matches: Central 4-0 1.000
Games: Central 8-3 .727
Points: Central 224-182 .552
decided by 10+: Central 3-0 1.000
decided by 3 or less: Central 4-3 .571
DOUBLES
matches: Central 2-1 .667
games: Central 6-3 .667
points: Central 162-135 .545
decided by 10+: Central 1-0 1.000
decided by 3: Central 1-3 .250
Next up: tomorrow morning
Friday, April 04, 2008
StarTribune Season Preview
#1 posting 4.4.2008
Minnesota badminton news & information
SEASON PREVIEW
The StarTribune looks at the badminton season underway with the challenges faced by Harding dynasty.
This week has been quiet with schools out, but action takes over again next week.
So far I have seen 10 of the 16 teams. Those that I haven't seen yet include--Mpls North, Mpls Southwest, Mpls Washburn, St. Paul Como Park, St. Paul Central and St. Paul Johnson.
The StarTribune lists the singles players to see, and I have seen all of them.
Next up: next week.
