Addison Trail badminton team returns No. 1 singles player Mutia.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The Willowbrook girls badminton team got the 2017 season started off on the right foot.
The Warriors won their season opener by an 8-7 count over Wheaton-Warrenville South and then took third at the 10-team Shepard invitational.
At Shepard, Hanna Konrath won the No. 3 singles title. Grace Chantos took second at No. 1 singles, while Hannah Hewitt was third at No. 2 singles. Sam Asher and Milena Sogura were second at No. 2 doubles, while Dani Celio and Luz Alcala were third at No. 3 doubles.
Willowbrook is coming off a 2016 season where it went 9-7-1 overall and 4-1 in West Suburban Conference Gold Division play.
Chantos, a senior, is a returning state qualifier, while Asher and Sogura are returning conference medalists. Asher also will play No. 3 singles, while Sogura will play No. 7 singles.
Also back for the Warriors are Hewitt (No. 2 singles), senior Ashley Garcia (No. 4 doubles) and junior Millie Zachariah (No. 5 singles and No. 1-No. 2 doubles). Zachariah also is a returning conference medalist.
Newcomers to the team include juniors Luz Alcala, Celio, Leski Dasziewicz, Shannon Frank, Leah Gensel, Nice Jenkins, Grace Roucka, Taylor Scheelk, Hailey Vogt and sophomores Charlotte Dewyer, Kaitlyn Karcz, Grace Wachholz and Konrath.
“This team has a great mixture of experience and talent,” said Willowbrook coach Brandon Murphy. “The team is led by our three captains Grace Chantos, Sam Asher and Milena Sogura. They bring a lot of experience to the team. Grace is a returning state qualifier and constantly is pushing herself and her teammates to reach their goals. She is coming off an injury at the end of the basketball season, but keep an eye out for her. When she’s healthy she can play with anyone in the state. Grace puts in the work and is working hard to end her senior year on the awards stand.”
Murphy noted leadership is something of prime importance for the Warriors this season. “Strong leadership is going to be the key with so many new players in the program,” he said. “The younger girls look up to our seniors and they need to lead by example every day. So far, our captains have been great getting the newer girls to come together as a team.”
Murphy said his team is focusing on completing shots. “One at a time, controlling things we can control—our effort, our mind, energy and shot placement,” he said. “We want to out-hustle our opponents and footwork is the key to doing that.”
The coach sees a lot of potential in both the singles and doubles divisions. “Currently in singles, our top two players both are seniors with a lot of experience, but I do believe by the end of the year our doubles teams will be very competitive.”
Murphy labels Hewitt the most improved player for the Warriors from last year. “Hannah is doing the little things right and I’m loving what I’m seeing out of her,” he said. “I think she is going to have a fabulous year.”
Konrath and Zachariah also have impressed in the early going. “Hanna is an athlete,” said Murphy. “She is a three-sport athlete who knows how to compete. She is getting better every day. Millie is a junior who was on varsity last year as a sophomore and is much stronger this year. Look for her to be somewhere in our sectional lineup.”
Murphy sees good things ahead for his team. “’We can. We will,’ is what you will hear if you come into a Willowbrook badminton gym,” he said. “This team has the capability to be something special. They are working on leaving their mark in the history books, but it will take maximum efforts from all of them if we are going to build something special. I think we can and will.”
Addison Trail girls badminton
The Addison Trail girls badminton team returns senior Athena Kakolires (No. 2 singles) and juniors Mary Grace Mutia (No. 1 singles) and Kasia Czepiel (No. 3 singles) from last year’s team.
A key newcomer to the team is junior Bianca Piscopo (No. 8 singles).
“We have a great group of girls,” said Addison Trail coach Eric Norberg. “Our hardest worker on the team is also the best player on the team. This sets a tone for the other girls on the team to work hard and helps make my job easier.”
