Women's badminton team beats Mesa in conference opener

Women's badminton team beats Mesa in conference opener

Irvine Valley's women's badminton team defeated San Diego Mesa, 18-3, on Wednesday in its first Pacific Coast Athletic Conference match of the season.

The Lasers won 10 of 12 singles matches and four of five doubles matches.

Freshmen Jurate Foes, Deepthi Rao, Peihong Jiang and Jessey Wang each won both of their singles contests.

Foes, who plays No. 1 singles for the Lasers and won the singles title at the opening Grossmont Tournament last week, won her two matches, 21-5, 21-10, and 21-8, 21-8.

Rao came away with 21-15, 21-6, and 21-11, 21-12 victories, Jiang won, 21-14, 21-17, and 21-16, 21-7, and Wang won, 21-12, 21-17, and 21-17, 21-11.

Sophomore Karen Wang and freshman Evan Chen each split singles matches.

Wang lost to Mesa's top player in three sets.

In doubles, Foes and Karen Wang teamed to win, 21-11, 18-21, 21-12, and 21-3, 21-10, at the No. 1 position.

At No. 2 doubles, Rao and Jiang won, 21-12, 21-17, and 21-14, 21-4.

IVC dropped the No. 3 doubles match.

Irvine Valley plays another conference match next Wednesday, traveling to Grossmont.