West Aurora leads local state-bound contingent

West Aurora badminton coach Jerel Waide couldn't have predicted the future more accurately.

At the start of the season, Waide was confident No. 1 singles player Lauren Henry, a senior, would qualify for state for the third consecutive year. She did, and so did teammates Emily Kuntzi and Alicia Hizel and Alexis Fox and Karina Diaz in doubles play.

These five Blackhawks, along with the doubles team of Kelsey True and Ashley Nelson from St. Charles North and St. Charles East's No. 1 singles player Alison Ledbetter, are heading to state, which begins today on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.

Henry is a two-time state qualifier in doubles play. Last year, she finished in the top 8 in the state. She entered sectional play 23-11 and placed second in the DuPage Valley Conference. She'll be heading to Quincy University on a tennis scholarship in the fall.

Henry will begin play against Alexis Karigan, a senior from Stevenson.

"It was a rough year for her, making the transition from doubles to singles," Waide said. "Her record doesn't show how good she is. It's her senior year, and she's in a good spot for state. She wants to show the sophomores the way."

Diaz qualified for state as a singles player last year. Both Diaz and Fox are juniors and will be playing against a pair of Downers Grove North seniors, Emma Andersen and Ashley Daly.

"They are very confident," Waide said. "Their goal was to get to state and they did."

Kuntzi and Hizel are the only two sophomores in the state to qualify as a doubles duo. They are pitted against Glenbard North's Stephanie Palumbo, a senior, and Ami Modi, a junior.

"Again, their record (of 6-27) doesn't show their abilities, so to qualify for state is an honor," Waide said. "They are so excited."

True, a returning junior, and Nelson, a first-year junior, will be playing a doubles team from York.

They placed second in the Upstate Eight Conference and fourth in sectional play. Their conference record was 8-2 and they are 6-3 in the postseason.

"The team as well as myself are very excited about going to state," St. Charles North coach Mike Smith said. "This is the first time in (school) history we are sending a doubles team to the state tournament.

"Nelson and True beat some pretty good teams in sectionals to get to there and they deserve it. The only thing we know about (the team from York) is that they are seniors from a historically good badminton program. But, they made it to the same spot we did, (so) it should be a good first match."