Plenty of badminton intrigue downstate

Fremd badminton player Suzy Choi said she enjoyed the frenetic atmosphere at day one of the state tournament Friday.

"It was crazy," said Choi. "There were a ton of people, it was overcrowded, and we had to get used to all the eyes staring at us. Sometimes you couldn't even think."

Despite all the distractions, Choi and her doubles partner Stephanie MBI not only stayed alive but thrived.

Choi and MBI now have to think about their strategy for day two as they advanced to today's doubles quarterfinals held at Eastern Illinois University.

They'll be one of three Mid-Suburban League teams in the final eight as No. 1 seed Julie Jambrone/Katelyn Sommers of Buffalo Grove and second-seeded Jessica Hirsh and Stephanie Venturelli of Prospect also advanced.

"We knew it was going to be tough today," said Choi, as the Vikings duo just squeaked into the quarterfinals with a third-round 21-18, 21-18 win over a team from Hinsdale South.

"It was fun," said MBI, who competed at last year's tourney in singles. "I really love being here with a partner instead of playing as an individual. "There's less tension."

BG, led by Jambrone and Sommers, stands in second place in the team race just 1 point behind co-leaders Naperville North and Neuqua Valley.

"Today was high intensity," said Jambrone. "So far things are going according to plan, but tomorrow will be tougher."

The Bison also got solid performances from the doubles team of Tori Appelt and Stephanie Mayer, who won 3 of 4 matches and advanced to the consolation championship bracket, and singles player Jessica Schwartz.

Schwartz, a senior, won her first two matches in the championship draw before falling in a tightly contested game against Kyleen Jan of Naperville North in the third contest of the day.

Schwartz then recovered to win her first consolation match and earn the right to keep competing Saturday.

"The bottom line is the kids played very well," said Buffalo Grove coach Chris Van Grondelle. "They stepped up and put the hammer down."

The Fremd duo of Sunny Shah and Alice Zhang won three matches and will try to keep it going Saturday in the doubles consolation bracket, while Hoffman Estates' Tiffany Lim can count a singles win on her state resume.

BG's Kristen McClellan won three of four singles matches before falling in the fourth consolation round; the Prospect doubles team of Kari Hammerstrom and Kendall Dawson scored one win; as did Schaumburg's duo of Dhun Patel and Emily Knipp.

And now the focus today will be the chase for a title from the Knights, Bison and Vikings doubles; and if all goes according to the seeding, Jambrone/Sommers could meet conference rivals Hirsh/Venturelli for the doubles title.

The teams played a semifinal state match last season, and twice already this year, with Jambrone and Sommers getting the upper hand both times.

But according to Sommers, if they meet Hirsh and Venturelli for the championship, the duos are so evenly matched that it could be a classic.

"They're a great team," said Sommers. "It could go either way."

For their part, seniors Hirsh and Venturelli say they'll be focused and ready to go Saturday.

"We've been working toward this for the past four years," said Hirsh. "We've played them (Jambrone and Sommers) maybe seven or eight times over the last couple of years, so we know their style. You've just to be mentally ready to play them.

"For us to go out with a championship - there wouldn't be anything better."