The Blues badminton team played the Waterloo Warriors last Saturday in their second competition of this year’s OUA badminton season. Two schools play 13 matches when they meet on a weekend: three men’s single, three women’s single, two men’s double, two women’s double and three mixed double matches.
On Saturday the Blues lost to their visitors, the Waterloo Warriors, by a score of 8-5.
Saturday’s meeting looked good at the beginning, but the visitors ultimately outshone the Blues. This defeat means three straight losses for the Blues badminton team, which lost its first match to York by an 11-2 count, and its second to Ryerson by the same margin. The latest result leaves them in the fourth position in the OUA rankings with six points, three points behind the table leaders from York.
York is tied with the Warriors of Waterloo, Ryerson, and Western, who still have a game in hand. They all possess 2 wins so far this season.
The OUA rule states that there will be five competitions for this season’s round robin and the top four qualify for the playoffs. It doesn’t look bright for the Blues, but the playoffs are not out of the question yet. There are still two competitions left to be played.
Here are some observations from Saturday’s competitions, from a spectator’s angle: the women’s single players still need to gain some court confidence and the doubles teams will have to improve communication tactics and work on the “bumping effect”: they kept bumping into each other and getting confused as to when or when not to go for the shuttle.
Coach Wayne King kept having talks with the pairs during time-outs and the team seemed to utilize these tips for a few minutes on the court. Then it was deja vu all over again.
The fans did not help either-the Warriors seemed to be the ones at home, overshadowing the invisible Blues fans with their chants. Also, they were too close to the court, which prompted the umpire to move them to the top of the spectator seats. This tactic by the Warriors fans paid off in the end, creating a tense atmosphere for the Blues in their own backyard.
The enthusiasm of the Waterloo crowd was directly responsible for a number of deadly mistakes that cost U of T the match.
All hope is not yet gone, however. If the Blues win their next two matches, they might have a chance to creep into third place behind McMaster, and still make the playoffs. At worst, they could finish tied for fourth and still possibly qualify for the post-season.
A loss of any of these matches might have irreparable results. The race for the playoffs is as tight as ever, and with the Mustangs having an extra game left, it looks like there will only be one spot up for grabs and not two.
The Blues play their next match on the road against McMaster, which currently holds the second position. A win there will mean a lot for the Blues in getting out of the drought they seem to be in. It’s still possible to make the playoffs, but it’s not going to be an easy ride for the Blues badminton team.
