By Jayden Nguyen
The Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Barons dominated the Cypress High School Centurions in the CIF semi-final on Wednesday, securing a 16-5 win. The Barons extended their season record to 13-3 overall.
The Barons started off to a strong start with mixed-doubles duo senior captain Sophie Ho and junior Jayden Chung engaging in victorious skirmishes to secure two games for the Barons. Ho held the line at the front while Chung smashed several birdies back to score. The two played in tandem scoring numerous points and ending with a final score of 21-13.
Barons doubles pair junior Ashley Chu and freshman Ethan Thai lost their first match but ended the set with two wins to secure a score of 21-14. The third doubles pair, consisting of seniors Claudia Nguyen and Raymond Trinh, played with finesse and power to end with a final score of 21-12.
The next set of matches was the girls’ singles with senior Trang Le and freshman Haruke Koyama representing the Barons. Le and Koyama played hard-fought matches against the Centurions, but both lost their matches 14-21 and 17-21 respectively.
Afterward, boys’ singles matches consisted of Thai skillfully passing the birdie back and forth ending intently with smashes to secure a win of 21-18 and another point for the Barons. Chung, who also represented boys’ singles, finessed the birdie to capitalize on his opponent’s distance and masterfully scored points with an ending score of 21-9.
The next set of matches was the girls’ doubles duos, with Nguyen and Ho representing the Barons With great passes and teamwork, they managed to end their game with a score of 21 to 17. Furthermore, Chu and junior Lynna Tran played hard-fought matches to contest the Centurions and ultimately won with a final score of 24-22.
The last matches of the day consisted of boys’ doubles, starting with the duo of Trinh and sophomore Trevor Phoung. Trinh took control of the back and deftly received the birdies, while Phuong maintained control in the frontcourt. They won their matches 21-18.
“The game went really well and we won by a lot,” Ho said. “ We’re kind of nervous for our last game but we’re prepared.”
The Barons will progress to the next round to face off against Glen A. Wilson High School in an away game on Friday, May 10.
