Against an experienced East L.A. team, Tomoe Okaguchi felt the pressure last Friday.
Ranked as the team’s No. 1 player, playing in the Warriors’ final game of the season with the playoffs hanging in the balance, Okaguchi knew each point was important, each stroke could determine the match and that a misplaced volley could end the season.
With the weight of the playoffs on her shoulders, Okaguchi and an inexperienced badminton team could not hold together, settling for first place, but with no hope of advancing to the playoffs.
In a season in which almost their entire roster was composed of new players, the Warriors were able to improve steadily, gaining experience and technical skills throughout the season. And at season’s end, they walked away with the title of co-champion with Pasadena City and East L.A, but with no ticket to the playoffs.
After all the conference matches, EC, Pasadena City and East L.A. ended up with the same overall game record, 42-42, but because Pasadena City had three more set points than EC, Pasadena City went on to the Southern California Team Playoffs and faced Irvine Valley yesterday.
“I tried very hard to win the game because I didn’t want to hurt the team’s record,” Okaguchi said. “But the pressure was too much for me.”
The women will play as individuals at the South Coast Conference (SCC) Tournament tomorrow at the Manhattan Beach Badminton Club at 9 a.m.
“Individually, players got better,” coach John Britton said. “They got more experience and more comfortable with their ability.”
The Warriors beat L.A. City last Wednesday, 19-2 and lost to East L.A., 13-8, last Friday.
“It was not lack of ability, but a lack of playing personnel that cost us the East L.A. game,” Britton said.
The Warriors were without No.2 Arielle Lombardi and No.3 Rebekah Wanic from the middle of the season on.
“Lombardi’s injuries were more serious than we thought,” Britton said. “Missing some players really hurt the team, thereby dictating the results of the last three games.”
Other players tried to step up their performance, but their contributions were not enough to make up for the loss of the team’s No. 2 and No. 3 players.
Okaguchi said while she is disappointed with the loss, she also believes that she has improved.
“Compared to my play before, though, I am confident,” Okaguchi said. “I got more persistent in rallies.”
In the SCC Tournament tomorrow, Okaguchi will be top seeded in the singles game and second seeded in the doubles game with her partner, Sabine Kuenstler.
The top eight singles players and top four doubles players of the tournament will qualify for the state championship.
“Okaguchi has a good opportunity to be the conference champion,” Britton said. “The team of Okaguchi and Kuenstler also has an opportunity to be the conference doubles champion.”
The women’s badminton team, which started the season with a lot of first-year players, has acquired a lot of skill and power over the course of the season. The players are satisfied with what they were able to accomplish throughout the season as a team.
“I think we all did well,” Kuenstler said. “We were all beginners except Okaguchi. We did improve over the course of the season.”
“I think our team deserved to be co-champion. We really practiced a lot,” Sok Ian Leong said. “Joining the team was a good chance for me to gain new experiences.” she said. Playing with other teams players let us see the way they practiced and see their skill level.”
