The University of Toronto Varsity Blues badminton team defeated the Ryerson Rams 10-3 on Saturday, October 31 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
Third-year standout Jesse Assing (Bethany, Ont.) returned to action for the Blues after suffering a strained shoulder muscle. Assing was in fine form during his 21-8, 21-8 victory over Jason Wan in the number one men’s singles match. He went on to pair up with Mark Chang (Vancouver, B.C.) to take the number one men’s doubles match 21-9, 21-13.
Assing was voted the male athlete of the day by his teammates due to the great leadership he displayed in the doubles match and for the obvious impact he has on the entire team when he is healthy and playing.
In similar fashion, Shilin Cheung (Hong Kong) was strong in the women’s number two singles match 21-7, 21-13 with an aggressive style of play that dominated every aspect of the court. She then partnered with Jossee Matte (Brantford, Ont.) to handily win the number one women’s doubles match 21-4, 21-8. With the victories, Cheung remains undefeated in OUA play with an 8-0 record and was named the Blues badminton female athlete of the day for her efforts.
Team captain Mike Lawler (Peterborough, Ont.) and Mark Chang won the number two and three men’s singles matches, while Melissa Hill (Oakville, Ont.) and Tonia Kwok (Hong Kong) dropped two very close matches to their Ryerson counterparts in the number one and three women’s spots.
Toronto native Raymond Zhang and Clifton Leung (Mississauga, Ont.) won the number two men’s double match 21-18, 21-16, securing the undefeated play of the U of T men on the day.
Rookie Michelle Chow (Markham, Ont.) paired with veteran Lin Wang (Beijing) to win the number two women’s doubles match 21-9, 21-7. Chow then paired up with rookie Ben Ouyang (Toronto) in his first OUA match and took the highly-rated Ryerson mixed team of Brian Ip and Clare Cheung to the limit, losing in three sets 21-11, 13-21, 21-18.
Hill and Zhang dominated the number one mixed doubles match 21-16, 21-9, as Zhang became more and more confident and Hill displayed her usual dominance at the net. Lawler and Matte also took the number two mixed doubles match 21-10, 21-17 against Andy Yip and Silvia Cheung.
Full Results
The Varsity Blues have an overall match record of 38 wins and 14 losses and look to challenge the defending OUA champion Western Mustangs next Sunday, November 8 in London, Ont.
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.
