SouthtownStar badminton note

Six state-qualifying players graduated. Six spots open for new players to step up.

Having lost all six of its state qualifiers from 2013, Lockport started from the ground up this season and did not miss a beat, qualifying two singles players and two doubles teams for state.

Competing over the weekend at the state tournament at Eastern Illinois in Charleston, the Porters totaled 7.5 points (3.0 for singles, 4.5 for doubles), good for a tie for ninth place with York in the team standings.

Two juniors, Jen Inczauskis and Lauren Hueckstaedt, made the most of their first appearance at the state tournament, winning four matches before falling in the fifth round of the consolation bracket. Inczauskis and Hueckstaedt went 4-2 overall.

Lockport’s top doubles team, seniors Araceli Lozano and Marisol Onate, advanced to the fourth round of the consolation bracket.

On the singles side, Jessica Miller and Haley Egelhof both gained valuable state experience as sophomores. Miller won three matches, Egelhof two.

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