Thursday, April 6, 2023

LJ badminton 8, SDHS 9

Alex Park, a junior at La Jolla,
warms up for his singles match
Wed., April 5, at SDHS.
(Photos by Ed Piper)


By Ed Piper

La Jolla's badminton team was forced to change its scheduled home match against Canyon Crest Wed., April 5, to an away game at San Diego High.

No matter, the Vikings, coached by Jerry Tellers and Tony Taing, brought all their stars as co-captains Daphnie Tseng and Julia Olfe led the squad into the fray.

Tseng and Olfe are both seniors, and their play this season--Daphnie as a singles competitor, Julia in doubles--has contributed to a 2-2 record leading into Wednesday's match against the Cavers.

Said Taing of Tseng's profile: "Daphnie is our hard-hitter. She can perform every shot in badminton: clears, drops, drives, and smashes. She is very tactile in her placements, and she can really get her opponents out-of-breath."

About Olfe, like Tseng a four-year player for the Vikings, the coach says, "Her defense in blocking smashes and drives is top-notch."

Taing, an LJHS badminton alumnus himself, notes that Julia has played with numerous partners over her four-year career. Her ability to do that has to do with communicating well.



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