After finishing tied for second in the Blossom Valley Athletic
League
’s West Valley division this season, the Live Oak High badminton
team is looking for a top-notch performance at the league finals
this week. And, it doesn’t hurt that the Acorns will get to stay
home for the BVAL Championships, which will be held today and
Wednesday at Live Oak. Play begins at 1
pm both days. “We have a bit of a homecourt advantage,” LO coach
Linda Seals said. “We’re used to the lights here and the surface. I
think we’ll do well.”
After finishing tied for second in the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s West Valley division this season, the Live Oak High badminton team is looking for a top-notch performance at the league finals this week.
And, it doesn’t hurt that the Acorns will get to stay home for the BVAL Championships, which will be held today and Wednesday at Live Oak. Play begins at 1pm both days.
“We have a bit of a homecourt advantage,” LO coach Linda Seals said. “We’re used to the lights here and the surface. I think we’ll do well.”
Live Oak, which went 12-4 in league play, will be joined by regular season champion Leigh, Pioneer – which tied the Acorns for second, neighboring rival Gilroy, San Jose, Lincoln, Branham and James Lick.
Sobrato would have been invited, too, but the new school never got its program going this season.
LO is led by No. 1 boys singles player Roger Alcarez, a senior who went 13-3 during the regular season, No. 1 girls singles player Michelle Garber, a senior who went 14-2, and No. 2 girls singles player Ninna Chan, who is undefeated this season at 15-0.
Other Acorn players who will compete in singles play include sophomore Stephen Garber (No. 2 boys), junior Spencer Lines (No. 3 boys), and junior Calvin Kiss (No. 4 boys).
LO’s No. 1 girls doubles team of seniors Deanna Martin and Jennifer Fraissl will also compete in the finals.
The winners of each competition – boys and girls singles, and boys and girls doubles – qualify for the Central Coast Section finals next week.
This is the third year in a row the BVAL badminton finals have been held at LO.
LO boys volleyball
Capping its season the way it played most of it, the Live Oak High boys volleyball team dropped its season finale to visiting Palma on Friday.
LO battled the Chieftains to five games but lost in the tiebreaker and ended up on the short end of a 13-25, 25-8, 22-25, 29-27, 12-15 loss.
The Acorns (12-12 overall, 6-6 in league) finished fourth in the TCAL behind league champion Monterey, second-place Gilroy and third-place Hollister-San Benito.
Last season, LO finished 23-3 overall, including a 14-0 record in TCAL play, to claim another in a string of league titles.
But the Acorns lost in the first round of the CCS playoffs and have never won a section postseason match.
