St. Paul Champs: Khoua Xiong, Thao/Chang

#1 posting 5.8.2008
badminton news & information

ST. PAUL CHAMPIONS
KHOUA XIONG-SINGLES
DOUA THAO/DA CHANG-DOUBLES
The St. Paul City conference wrapped up their tournament today with #1 Khoua Xiong of Highland Park winning the singles and the St. Paul duo of Doua Thao and Da Chang taking the doubles titles. It was a battle of Xiongs for the singles title as Khoua Xiong beat Mee Xiong for the third time this year. The Central pair beat two Central doubles teams for the title.
Luckily I was able to make it just in time despite congestion on 694 due to construction in Fridley and also in the unweave the weave site.

SINGLES
SEMIFINALS: MEE XIONG vs GOLY YANG
#1 Khoua Xiong beat #4 Yer Chang of Central in the semis 21-14 and 21-10. I watched the other semifinal battle between #2 Mee Xiong of Harding and #3 Goly Yang of Johnson. Xiong started off the first game with three straight points and had a 10-2 lead after finishing her second service. Yang had one run good for three points to cut the margin to 12-6. The side out game was working for Xiong after that as she finished up with 3/4 side outs. Xiong also used the clear for two of her last four points.

Game two lasted linger and had a different flavor. Xiong led 3-0 early, but never had the 7 point run she had in game one. Goly Yang scraped and battled using the clear for four points, three on consecutive side outs. On Yang's sixth serve she had her own 7 point run to go up 14-9. Xiong had a rare four straight error string. Yang got her last point via the clear. Xiong got the side out with a soft drive and added four more to tie the game at 14. Yang added two more points to lead 16-14. With a deep hitting error Yang gave the bird up and didn't get another serve in the rest of the game. Xiong served out with six straight points, two of which were clears.

The key difference Xiong had a +13 advantage on hitting errors.

photo: Goly Yang moves away from the net to make a back hand shot. photo by kja

SEMIFINALS SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Xiong 8/14-.571; Yang 6/15-.400
RUNS OF 3+:
Xiong 6, Yang 2
POINTS:
Xiong 42
Winners 17: Clears 5, Smashes 3, Drops 3, Drive 3, Soft Drives 3
Yang Errors 25: hitting 24 (Wide 12, Net 6, Fan 4, Deep 2), serving 1 (short 1)
Yang 27
Winners: 15: Smashes 6, Clears 6, Soft Drives 2, Aces 1
Xiong Errors 12: hitting 12 (Wide 6, Fans 3, Net 3)
Time: 14:35

CHAMPIONSHIP: KHOUA XIONG vs MEE XIONG
In the battle of the Xiongs it was Khoua over Mee in two games. Khoua used her soft drive cut shot to great effect. In fact she used it 17 times for points in the two games, which is one more than the winners for Mee Xiong in total. Khoua overall had 35 points on winners and only 7 points given too her. Khoua's winner advantage was 19 points. Mee had a +12 advantage on error points.

Khoua started off in the lead in game one with two straight soft drive shots. Mee tied it at 3 and 4. Khoua had two runs of three sandwiched around a hitting error to go up 10-5. Khoua pushed the lead out to 15-9. Mee used a clear to get the bird back and added three more points on her serve to close to 15-13. Khoua got a key side out on her soft drive cut and added two more to go up 19-14. A missed serve gave the bird back. Khoua sided out at 70% in game one and used her patented soft drive cut to get the bird again. Once again, for the 9th time in game one, the soft cut made the difference.

Game two lasted longer again. The total serves of each player went to 13 and 12. Again Khoua took the early lead at 3-0 with two of the points coming via the soft drive. Six straight side outs later it was 6-3. Mee had a four point run to tie it up at 8. The game was tied again at 11. At some point around this stage of the game the count was off for Mee by -1. So when the score was stated 13-11 it really was 13-12. So from here on out I will state what the players considered to be the real score. Mee closed to 14-13. Two of the Khoua soft drives put her up 16-13. Mee had a three point run to tie the game at 17. All were hitting errors in the net from Khoua, the last on a smash attempt. Mee led 19-18 when Khoua got a clear for a side out. She smashed for point #20 and dropped for point #21 and the city championship.

Runs were few and far between in game two. The side out game was Khoua .583; and Mee .538 in the second game. In the third place contest Goly Yang beat Yer Chang.

photos: Khoua sends the ball back to Mee in game two. on the left St. Paul City Singles champ Khoua Xiong and her Highland Park coach Bobbi Fitzenberger. on the right Singles runner up Mee Xiong and her Harding coach Tracy Hrouda. photos by kja

CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES NUMBERS
SIDEOUTS:
Khoua Xiong 14/22-.636; Mee Xiong 11/24-.458
RUNS OF 3+:
Khoua Xiong 5, Mee Xiong 3
POINTS:
Khoua Xiong 42
Winners 35: Soft Drives 17, Smashes 8, Drops 5, Clears 3, Ace 1, Drive 1
Mee Xiong Errors 7: hitting 6 (Net 3, Wide 2, Deep 1), serving 1 (deep 1)
Mee Xiong 35
Winners: 16: Drops 7, Drives 3, Clears 2, Smashes 2, Soft Drives 2
Khoua Xiong Errors 19: hitting 17 (Net 11, Wide 5, Deep 1); Serving 2 (wide 2)
Time: 14:35

DOUBLES
You could say it was a D squared Double championship with the Central pair Doua Thao and Da Chang beating teammates for the title. It was all Central all the time.

SEMIFINALS
Doua Thao/Da Chang, Central beat Malinda Xiong/Mai See Xiong, Central 21-18, 21-13
Phoua Xiong/Mai Sia Yang, Central beat PH/K, Arlington 21-15, 18-21, 21-15
CHAMPIONSHIP
Doua Thao/Da Chang, Central beat Phoua Xiong/Mai Sia Yang, Central 21-15, 18-21, 21-15

All the matches were going on simultaneously so I wasn't able to watch the doubles final until game three. D&D led early at 2-0. A three point run by P&MS put them in front 3-2. There were four ties up to seven. A D&D run of three put them in front 10-7. Another run of three made it 13-9. P&MS cut the margin to 13-12. It stayed a one point game until D&D ran off five points to lead 20-14. Two more P&MS points cut the lead to 20-16. A smash ended the day.
One of the key difference in this game was the side out %. D&D was at 50%; P&MS checked in with 33%. Also D&D had 10 winners in this game compared to 6 for P&SY.

A further note--Central had three doubles teams in action today plus two singles players for eight total players, the most of any school today. Host Arlington furnished a doubles team, Highland Park had two players in singles competition; Harding and Johnson each had one singles player.

Photos: #1 Phoua Xiong and Mai Sia Yang in the championship decisive third game. Doua Thao and Da Chang ready to serve in the third game. Central coach Brian Reinhardt and two of the Central doubles teams, second place finishers Phoua Xiong and Mai Sia Yang on the left and Doua Thao and Da Chang on the right. photos by kja

next up: tomorrow with the state seeds

St. Paul Final Four Set

#1 posting 5.7.2008
badminton news & information

ST. PAUL CITY FINAL FOUR SET
Top 4 Seeds Advance in Singles
Grand Central in Doubles
Today it was the east side of the river's turn to hold their conference tournament. St. Paul holds their event for two days and there are a few differences with Minneapolis.
1. All singles and doubles teams from each school participate.
2. There is play back, not one and done as in Minneapolis
3. There were almost triple the space available at Arlington for matches.

The big news was in the singles the top four seeds advanced. #1 seed Khoua Xiong of Highland Park received a scare in the quarters from Stephanie King of Harding. Xiong needed three games to advance. She took game one 21-10, lost the next set 21-15, before bouncing back to take game three 21-17
#4 Yer Chang of Central also went three games in her match with Der Xiong of Como Park.
#2 Mee Xiong of Harding beat Crystal Yang of Harding 21-12 and 21-4.
A pair of Johnson players faced each other in the other lower bracket quarterfinal with #3 Goly Yang upending Pang Thao 21-19, 21-13.

In the doubles division all three Central teams advanced to the final four. Joining them will be Arlington pair of Pa Hnia Yang and Kia Her. Oddly enough Co City champs Johnson and Harding failed to land a doubles team in the final four.

SINGLES RESULTS
FIRST ROUND
Olamade Fudahunsi, Johnson beat Kari Finseth, Central 21-11, 21-12
Stephanie King, Harding beat Nhu Richards, Highland Park 21-16, 21-3
Belick Pha, Johnson beat Shoua Moua, Humboldt 21-12, 21-14
Elena Kronmiller, Highland Park beat Dawn Vang, Central 21-8, 21-17
Der Xiong, Como Park beat Cha Her, Arlington 29-27, 21-12
Shide Vang, Humboldt beat KY, Central 21-14, 13-21, 21-17
Yer Yang, Como Park beat Micha Everts, Highland Park 21-10, 21-7
Crystal Yang, Harding beat LL, Arlington 21-17, 21-13
Nou Fang, Como Park beat MDY, Humboldt 21-15, 21-17
Ka Neng Vue, Como Park beat Tina Yang, Arlington 21-17, 21-18
Pang Thao, Johnson beat Novia Josiah, Arlington 23-21, 21-15
Alana Yang, Harding beat SV, Humboldt 21-14, 21-13
SWEET 16
Khoua Xiong, Highland Park beat Olamade Fudahunsi, Johnson 21-10, 21-12
Stephanie King, Harding beat Belick Pha, Johnson 21-10, 21-13
Yer Chang, Central beat Elena Kronmiller, Highland Park 21-19, 16-21, 21-11
Der Xiong, Como Park beat Shide Vang, Humboldt 21-17, 22-20
Mee Xiong, Harding beat Yer Yang, Como Park 21-11, 21-19
Crystal Yang, Harding beat Nou Fang, Como Park 21-10, 21-11
Goly Yang, Johnson beat Ka Neng Vue, Como Park 21-6, 24-22
Pang Thao, Johnson beat Alana Yang, Harding 21-17, 21-19
QUARTERFINALS
Khoua Xiong, Highland Park beat Stephanie King, Harding 21-10, 15-21, 21-17
Yer Chang, Central beat Der Xiong, Como Park 21-19, 16-21, 21-8
Mee Xiong, Harding beat Crystal Yang, Harding 21-12, 21-4
Goly Yang, Johnson beat Pang Thao, Johnson 21-19, 21-13

Doubles featured pool play and they had a point system where the winners advanced. I don't have those results, but the here are the quarterfinals:
DOUBLES QUARTERFINALS
Doua Thao/Da Chang, Central beat Sheng Thao/PC, Johnson 21-11, 21-12
Malinda Xiong/Mai See Xiong, Central beat D/M, Humboldt 21-18, 21-11
Phoua Xiong/Mai Sia Yang, Central beat Kia Thao/Kou Nou Chang, Johnson 21-19, 14-21, 24-22
PH/K, Arlington beat MC/N, Humboldt 21-18, 15-21, 21-17

WHAT I SAW
I saw four full singles matches plus the last two games of the Khoua Xiong/Stephanie King match.
#1 KRONMILLER/VANG (FIRST ROUND)
In the first contest Elena Kronmiller of Highland Park beat Dawn Vang of Central 21-8, 21-17. Kronmiller jumped out to a commanding 12-1 lead. It was hard to come back from such a big hole. The odd fact in game one: Vang sided out at 62.5% (5/8). Kronmiller was even higher at 87.5%.

Game two was a bit more contested with no huge runs. Vang led at 7-6 and held the one point advantage up to 13-12. Kronmiller didn't take the lead for good until she reached 16-14. After that Kronmiller forced Vang to side out her last four serves. Meanwhile Kronmiller squeezed points off her last six serves.

Photo: Kronmiller reaches for a shot. photo by kja

#2 FUDAHUNSI/FINSETH (FIRST ROUND)
Fudahunsi of Johnson started the first game with five straight points and led 9-1. Finseth battled back to 14-9, but another run by Fudahunsi made it 18-9.

In game two Fudahunsi started out with a 3-0 lead. Finseth closed to 7-6. Fudahunsi used a three point run to go up 10-6. She stretched that lead out to 14-8. Finseth staged a comebacl to cut the margin to 15-12. A hitting error gave the bird back to Fudahunsi and she didn't share the rest of the game scoring five more points for the win. This contest lasted 16 minutes (7:22 for game one and 8:33 for game two).

photo: Finseth sends the bird back to Fudahunsi. photo by kja

#3 THAO/YANG (SWEET 16)
Pang Thao took the early advantage at 3-0. Alana Yang managed to tie it at 5. Thao reasserted herselft at 10-6 with another run of three. Thao continued to build on that lead to 19-13. But her fifth service error in this game gave the bird back. Yang used it for a three point run to close to 20-18. Thao ended round one with a drive.

Just as in the first game Thao led early, this time 4-0. Yang battled back and led at 9-8. Neither got any traction with four ties after that, the last coming at 14 all. Thao used a soft drive to start a three point run and she was back in the saddle. Now my cout had Thao winning at 21-16, but the pair kept playing. They finally stopped at 22-18.

photo: Pang Thao on the far court reaches to her right. photo by kja

#4 YANG/THAO (QUARTERFINALS)
This was a civil war game with both #3 seed Goly Yang and Pang Thao Johnson Governors. Both have held the first position at Johnson this year. Thao has a knee injury which she aggravated in the Alana Yang Sweet 16 round. Her mobility isn't what it has been and Goly Yang was aggressive in bird placement.

Yang had an early three point run to lead 4-2. Thao surged back in front with a 4-1 run to lead 9-7. Thao maintained that two point lead until Yang added another three point run to lead 12-11. That was the start of a 7-2 run. Thao wasn't done quite yet and had a run of three to tie it up at 18. Yang closed out the win with three Thao hitting errors broken up by a drop shot.

Yang surged ahead in game two 5-2 after a run of six and then added another four point run to lead 10-4. Thao, like in game one, battled back to trail 11-9 after a four point run. This game featured six runs alone. Side outs were rare. And sometimes the server helped cut their own throat with service errors. Yang missed four serves in game two, while Thao cleaned up that part of her game. Yang was on the verge at 19-10 when she missed her 4th serve short. That started a four point run for Thao. A Yang drive got the bird back and she closed out the match on the next serve 21-14.

Photo: Goly Yang about to drop shot to Pang Thao's left. phot by kja

#5 XIONG/KING QUARTERFINALS
I picked up on this game after game one was through. Khoua Xiong took that contest 21-10. In game two Stephanie King came out with three straight points and a 7-1 run to take command. King limited Xiong's run opportunities to only one three point run. That closed the margin to 13-12, but Xiong served deep on the next serve to give the bird back. Earlier the count was thrown off by two for Xiong so the final score which officially ended up to be 15 was actually 17. I don't know how they messed up, but it didn't factor into the outcome. To contrast this first game with the last Yang/Thao match this game Khoua Xiong served 13 times. Goly Yang served 7 times, so you can see their was more siding out, and less offensive runs in this game. King provided a drop for the deciding 21st point and forcing a third game.

Xiong was the one to establish her game early with a three point run. Later she added another three point run to lead 9-4. King turned the tables with a run of five of her own including a smash. This tied the score at 9. Xiong had two smashes in a three point run to retake the lead 12-9. The game then turned into a cat and mouse game with King knotting it up at 12, and then taking the lead at 15-14 on a handcuff drive. On the next bird Xiong made a save and King hit the bird in the net to tie it and get the side out back to Xiong. That was the beginning of a 7-2 run to finish the contest. Xiong used a smash to finish the last singles game 21-17.

Photo: is it in or out? it is in and Khoua Xiong on the next blurry photo makes contact with a backhand. (blurry photo not included). photo by kja

Next up: tomorrow's results

Polls and Late Results

#1 posting 5.2.2008
badminton news & information

LATE RESULTS
WEDNESDAY
Here are the latest results from Wednesday and Thursday

St. Paul Harding swept their triangular with Minneapolis South and St. Paul Arlington. Arlington won the third leg of the event with a 4-3 victory over the Tigers.

In other St. Paul action that day Central had the brooms ready for Humboldt. In the battles of the Parks it was Highland over Como 6-1.

THURSDAY
Central had revenge over Highland Park with a 4-3 win. Earlier in the season the score was flipped at HP.
In a non con game Johnson beat Burnsville 6-1.

In Minneapolis I reported on South's sweep of Henry. In other Mpls action North beat Washburn 6-1.

POLLS
Not a lot of changes, but a few switches
1. Harding
2. Johnson
3. Eden Prairie
4. Central
5. Highland Park
6. Edison
7. Arlington
8. Como Park
9. South
10. Burnsville
11. Humboldt
12. Henry
13. North
14. Southwest
15. Washburn
16. Roosevelt

INDIVIDUALS
I don't see these changing
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. Yer Chang, St. Paul Central

Next week--St. Paul has one more match to play on Monday. Tuesday Minneapolis will hold their city tournament at Edison. Wednesday and Thursday it is St. Paul's turn with Central hosting.

next up: Monday

Next up: Monday

Results from Monday and Tuesday

#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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Johnson Tops Harding

#1 posting 3.29.2008
badminton news & information

JOHNSON TOPS HARDING
St. Paul Johnson beat two time defending champ Harding 4-3 in the St. Paul conference on Thursday. It was the first time Harding has lost in St. Paul in two years.
In other action Highland Park beat Humboldt 5-2.

Everything shuts down for a week now.

next up: next week

Thursday Results

#1 posting 3.28.2008
badminton news & information

YESTERDAY'S RESULTS (+ MORE)
In Minneapolis South beat Edison 5-2 and Washburn edged Roosevelt 4-3. I am guessing that Southwest did not play Henry. There was a coaching change and the new SW coach had scheduled vacation during this time.
In St. Paul it was Central over Arlington 4-3. No word on the Harding vs Johnson or Highland Park vs Humboldt match ups.
St. Paul Johnson did beat Eden Prairie on Wednesday 6-1.

All schools will be off next week for their spring breaks and so there will be no matches.

next up: tomorrow?