After losing its first tournament of the season, the Mounties are looking to bounce back soon
Winning a championship is a feat for any kind of team, but winning three or more in a row is even more impressive. Mount Allison’s varsity badminton team has been accomplishing this feat for nine straight years and now has their eyes set on their 10th ACAA championship.
“Not many varsity teams have such a record and if we were able to make it to 10 ACAA championships in a row, it would be very special,” said head coach Steve Scott.
The team’s most recent performance was a home tournament this past weekend on Feb. 3, capping off the regular season with a 4-1 tournament record. Teams from Dal AC, King’s College and University of Saint Anne’s played off in a round-robin format.
Former captain Michael Miller came out to support the Mounties. “It’s great to come back and see the team remain just as dominant. I was happy to see the new players that came in and watch old teammates continue to succeed,” he said.
Scott credits the success on the team’s depth. “During the regular season our strength is that we have a lot of depth in both the A and B divisions. This gives us a huge advantage in winning the most points per tournament,” said Scott.
Although the format of winning points from both A and B divisions helps the Mounties, the ACAA championships are solely decided on the A division, and unlike in previous years, the Mounties are not the clear favourites to secure the championship.
“Over the next couple weeks, we’ll have to turn it up a notch and feed off of this positive pressure,” said captain Jaryd Morrissey. “As long as we play our game I have confidence we’ll be able to pull this off,” said Morrissey.
“I am anticipating this championship to be extremely challenging for us as the University of King’s College has a line up that can challenge us match for match,” said Scott. “Only our best play from each of our athletes will ensure a victory. I am especially excited about this championship weekend, as intense competition is what every serious athlete trains for, prepares for and relishes,” said Scott.
The ACAA championships take place on Saturday Feb. 17 and 18 at Holland College.
