Badminton: Liu, Fremd take MSL's top spot

Kellie Liu of Fremd became a Mid-Suburban League singles badminton champion Saturday.

The freshman, however, has even bigger goals in mind.

Liu won No. 1 singles over Kamila Czyszczon of Palatine in the MSL tourney at Hersey 21-8, 21-8.

Now the frosh is pointing toward the state finals.

"I want to win state," said Liu, who also competes on the Vikings' varsity golf team. "I've been training every day for that, and I've put in a lot of time and a lot of work."

Liu's effort, and that of her teammates, helped Fremd become MSL champs for the first time since 2012.

Buffalo Grove had claimed the crown for four consecutive seasons, but this season Fremd's point total of 44 bested the second-place Bison (32) and the third-place Huskies (24.5).

"BG's had our number for the last few years," said Vikings coach Bob Hanson, "so it's nice to get the title back. The girls performed last night (when the conference doubles meet was contested), and they performed again today."

Liu has had to balance her studies (she's interested most in biology, with the goal of someday having a career in neurology) as an incoming freshman, along with the rigors of being a varsity athlete.

"Athletics actually helps me clear my head," said Liu, "whether it's playing a round of golf or practicing badminton. It helps me refresh and rejuvenate.

"Now I've got a couple more weeks to go (in the postseason) so it's time to practice, train and take care of my body."

Vikings sophomore Jenny Li won at second singles, posting an impressive 21-4, 21-3 victory over Sunaina Addanki of Conant.

"We've been playing pretty well," said Li. "It seems like the season has gone by very quick, and I'm proud of the progress we've made this year as a team.

"We all train together, and I think that helps us improve."

The Vikings' Hannah Chen (3 singles) Sharon Wu (4 singles) and Kate Bodensteiner (7 singles) all won their flights to contribute to the Fremd championship.

Katy Meredith, a Prospect senior, won at fifth singles.

"This was exciting," said Meredith, who will attend Boston College in the fall to study math and compete athletically in intramurals. "I was pumped up from my semifinals match (a close victory over Kendall Krueger of Hersey). "She (Krueger) is a really good player. One of my goals all year has been to win singles here."

The team of Chen and Sharon Wu had won first doubles Friday night to help pace the Vikings' championshp effort, while Liu and Li pitched in with a win at third doubles.

The other singles champs Saturday were Wu (No. 4), Stephanie Masini of Prospect (No. 6), Claire McLoone of Buffalo Grove (No. 8) Sheyah Prasad of Fremd (No. 10), and Julia Gwozdz of Barrington (No. 9).

Gwozdz won the first set of her title match 21-11 but had to work overtime in set 2, rallying to win 24-22 against Lina Bagel of Fremd.

"She was up 20-18 and I was serving," said Gwozdz, "so it could have been over right there. It was very stressful. Then it got to be 20-20 so I was stressing even more."

When asked of her emotions when the final point when down, Gwozdz said "relieved."

"I was exhausted," said Gwozdz, a sophomore. "I hadn't eaten properly all day."

Gwozdz saw some brief playing time on varsity as a freshman, but spent most of last year on JV.

Now she'll be competing for the first time in the upcoming sectional, and she says she'll make a couple of changes from Saturday's MSL meet.

"I'm going to get more sleep," said the sophomore, "and definitely pack more to eat."