Badminton: Hinsdale South’s Andrea McNally hoping to make history

Updated: April 10, 2012 6:10PM

Hinsdale South badminton coach John Charters is still tinkering with his doubles lineups, but the picture regarding his singles players is starting to get clearer.

Senior Andrea McNally, a starter from the basketball team, is the clear-cut No. 1, and hopes to become the school’s first singles state champion since Carissa Niemann did the trick in 2001 and ’02. Niemann currently is a freshman badminton coach at Hinsdale Central.

“I feel better off after spring break,” McNally said. “We’re going to get going and play a lot more. We had two tournaments on both ends of spring break and only one practice.”

But Charters hasn’t committed to one particular player at No. 2 singles. Earlier this season, he used Christine Stella, but on Saturday his choice at No. 2 was junior Emily Spencer.

“We are filling in that spot by committee,” Charters said. “We have time before we start worrying about making that choice.”

The Hornets, who hope to make a run for a state-tournament trophy this season, will compete in their biggest regular season meet — the New Trier Featherfest — at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Hinsdale South is coming off a one-point win at Saturday’s six-team Naperville Central Invitational.

The Hornets counted wins by McNally and No. 4 singles player Lindy Wing, and by the No. 1 doubles team of Brittany DeClouette and Emma Adcock to beat Downers Grove North 34-33 for the title.

Hinsdale South will host what is perhaps the second biggest tournament of the season — the Hornet ABCD Invitational — on April 21.

Charters will use the next few weeks to set his lineup. One of his wild cards is Toni Romiti, one of three starters from the basketball team to play on this year’s badminton team. Romiti, who’s relatively new to the sport, paired with Stella at No. 2 doubles for a third-place finish at Naperville Central.

“Toni can pick up anything,” Charters said. “If I tell her to do something, she’ll do it.”

Charters said he needed a No. 1 singles player for a match earlier this season, and Romiti was willing.

Spencer made her bid for holding onto the No. 2 singles slot by finishing second at Naperville Central. DGN’s Amanda Schneeweis handed Spencer her only tournament defeat by winning 17-21, 21-11, 21-15 in the final round of the round-robin tournament.

Spencer, a Willowbrook resident, is playing on varsity for the first time after two seasons on JV.

“It’s a big step — playing varsity from JV,” Spencer said. “It’s a lot of fun. I enjoy playing badminton.”

To prepare for the season, Spencer played in Hinsdale South’s Sunday night camps, and in open gyms.

Hinsdale South’s No. 3 doubles team of Sara Devine and Ashley Yurchak, and the No. 4 tandem of Angela Tsarouhis and Clarie Kiolbasa each finished second at Naperville Central. No. 3 singles player Gina Skiris also finished second.

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