Henry bidding for 3rd trip to state tournament

West Aurora senior Lauren Henry is the only returning girls badminton player in the Tri-Cities Area who qualified for state last year.

Will it happen again? Count on it.

Henry is a two-time state qualifier in doubles. Her doubles partner for two seasons, Jenny Nguyen, graduated, leaving Henry as the best on the Blackhawks in both singles and doubles play.

Henry and Nguyen went 39-4 as a doubles duo to finish in the top eight at state last year.

"Lauren is definitely one of the best players in the state," West Aurora coach Jerel Waide said of Henry, who is heading to Quincy University on a tennis scholarship.

"People actually stop and watch her play. She's amazing, incredible…and her smash is unbelievable."

Henry may turn heads, but so will St. Charles North's Lindsay Madziarczyk. First year coach Mike Smith said it would be tough to find someone who could beat her.

"She's a leader as far as playing goes," Smith said. "She is very serious about the sport. She's our No. 1 singles by far."

St. Charles East doesn't have one big star like the Blackhawks and North Stars do, but that's just fine with second-year coach Emily Potts.

"They are going to be competitive," Potts said. "We have strength in the middle section of our lineup. Our 4-10 are pretty strong and consistent, which is great."

While Henry is the star for the Blackhawks, there are a few more up-and-coming returning players to watch out for. Waide thinks junior Karina Diaz and senior Sarina Acevedo have a solid shot at qualifying for state as a doubles duo.

Acevedo came close to qualifying for state in singles play last year, as she lost in sectional play.

"They are both doing really well," Waide said. "I expect a lot from them."

Another top returning player is junior Alexis Fox and two new sophomores are Emily Kuntzi and Alicia Hazel.

While Waide may be the veteran varsity badminton coach in the area (she's been coaching the Blackhawks for five seasons), this is Smith's first time coaching at the varsity level.

He was an assistant with the North Stars last year and has coached basketball and water polo prior to badminton.

Since he was with the program last year, the girls are familiar with him.

"It feels like we picked up right where we left off," said Smith, who has a new assistant/JV coach in Lindsay Trudell, who is also the head girls volleyball coach. "The girls are very coachable."

These coach-friendly girls include seniors Julie Gawron and Katelyn Johnston and juniors Kelsey True and Valerie Cannon, who were on last year's team. The top newcomer is junior Ashley Nelson.

"She's tough, she gets to everything," Smith said of Nelson.

True finished 9-1 in Upstate Eight Conference play. She will be among the top 4 singles players.

"She's going to have a great year, I know that for sure," Smith said.

Already, the Saints are off to a good start. They beat West Aurora 8-7 Monday at St. Charles East.

Potts liked the way her lineup looked. In singles play, she had senior Alison Ledbetter at No. 1, followed by senior Khris Villarin, senior Rachel Beeh, new senior Jordan McNamee and senior Shivani Mahilda rounding out the top 5 singles players.

Junior Sarah Johnson was No. 6, junior Addy Stoll was No. 7, and new juniors Jenny Lewellen, Rachel Renn and AJ Soerens were Nos. 8-10.

In doubles, Beeh and Villarin will be No. 1; Ledbetter and McNamee at No. 2; Mahilda and Stoll No. 3; Lewellen and Johnson No. 4 and Annamarie Scotello and Soerens at No. 5.

"I have a pretty good idea where everyone is going to be," Potts said. "Where they played (against West Aurora) is a good indicator. Things can always change, and the girls like to challenge each other in practice for the better spots, but right now, they are well-placed."

The Saints didn't have a winning record last year, but Potts, who is in her second year coaching the varsity level, thinks that will change this year.

"I think we will have more wins," Potts said. "We look better than last year, which is good. As long as they keep doing what they need to do, they will be fine."

Potts has been with the program since the seniors were freshmen, so she knows her girls well.

"They are comfortable with the way I run things," she said. "They will be competitive, which will be fun to see."