Pasadena City back to form, San Diego Mesa in pursuit as South Coast Conference women's badminton season unfolds

CCCAA Badminton: Schedule l Standings

PASADENA - After five straight South Coast Conference titles, Pasadena City College had its streak end last year in a rare off-season by the Lancers. 

Now, the team that won last year's title--Irvine Valley--dropped its program while a few others that did not play have returned to make a 6-team, SCC in 2023. Meanwhile, PCC has returned to form, sporting a perfect 4-0 record after one round of conference play. 

The Lancers, state champions in 2017 and 2018, are a half-game ahead of San Diego Mesa, 4-1 in conference matches after a 2-6 record last season. Mesa won the first two state titles in women's badminton history in 2000 and 2001. 

When the teams met on Feb. 24, PCC defeated the Olympians, 12-9, giving Mesa hope that it could possibly upend the Lancers when they face off for their second meeting on April 24 in San Diego. 

PCC is paced by a strong ladder that starts with freshmen Rhea Zou and Sophie Chao and includes experienced sophomores in Cindy Zhao, Nikki Chang, and Basil Kintinar. In the win over Mesa, Zou lost to Mesa's #2 player Megan Nguyen in three sets, but defeated #1 Erica Garcia Badaracco in an exciting 3-set match that went 24-22 in extra points to decide the outcome. Badaracco is the defending 2022 SCC individual singles champion. 

Five matchups went the full three sets in that contest. 

Also in the South Coast, San Diego City (1-1 record) scored an 11-10 win over El Camino on Mar. 10. The Knights top players are Cecilia Naranjo and Angelina Benn. 

El Camino (1-3) has some strong talent in #1 Julia Foster and Karlee Clark. East Los Angeles (1-3) is led by Huang Siqi while Compton (0-4) has a #1 in Alitzel Razon, a top soccer goalie in the Tartars program. 

One thing certain this season is that De Anza, the defending state champions from the North, has the South Coast's number after the Mountain Lions defeated both PCC, 19-2, and SD Mesa, 17-4, in non-conference matches. 

(Robert Lewis, South Coast Conference)