The Los Altos High School varsity badminton team defeated the Santa Clara High School Bruins 26–4 on Thursday, March 21. All girls singles, boys singles, girls doubles and mixed doubles teams won every single match, sweeping the competition.

Despite the overall victory, some teams still found challenges on the court. Varsity boys doubles 2 player sophomore Roshan Mahesh and his partner senior Geo Song won the first set of their match 21–14 but lost the second set 19–21.

“Our shots just fell apart,” Roshan said. “We just weren’t hitting it where we wanted to.”

Their third set was a close fight, with the pair down 4 points as the set neared its end. Finally, Roshan and Geo brought it back, winning the set 22–20 and gaining 2 points for the Eagles.

“My communication with my partner definitely improved,” Roshan said. “He’s also new to the team so we’re finding our way together throughout the season.”

It was a similar story for co-captain senior Ben Xu. After breezing through the first set of his varsity boys singles 1 match and winning 21–7, he faced challenges in his offensive tactics in the second set.

“I let loose a bit because I played so well in the first set,” Ben said. “The biggest challenge was my opponent’s defense. But with my teammates’ support, I really focused back up and won.”

Ben lost the second set 19–21 but was able to secure the third set, winning 21–6 and earning 3 more points for the Eagles.

Co-captain junior Ziana Merchant, who watched Ben’s match, also noted how his change in attitude improved his gameplay.

“He lost the second set but it was interesting to see his mindset shift because in the third set, he dialed in,” Ziana said. “He was really focused which was really fun to watch.”

The team also had a surprise visitor among its spectators. Last year’s captain, Sreyan Sarkar, ‘23, stopped by to watch the game.

“The team is in a good place,” Sreyan said. “I came at the very start of the season too, so I saw how many players were doing back then and a lot of them have improved quite significantly.”

Sreyan also commented on the energy in the gym that day.

“It’s great,” Sreyan said. “The gym is so much louder than in previous years. I love hearing the cheers and everything.”

Ben also points out the team’s growth from an insider perspective.

“Overall, our team has improved a lot since tryouts,” Ben said. “I can see that their clears and basic shots are getting better and they are well-spirited.”

The Eagles, who now have a 1–4 overall record, will bring this energy to their next game at Homestead High School today, March 26 at 6 p.m.