With a brilliant kick off to the season, Perry dominated 7-2 in their first game Tuesday against Chandler High School.

“They were ready and fired up for the game,” badminton coach Lerina Johnson said enthusiastically. The team performed well giving Chandler a challenge for the first time in a few seasons.

“It was a really good start for us,” senior Jenna Reynolds shared. “We hadn’t beaten Chandler in the past few years so it was good to get the win.” The team won seven out of the nine matches pulling off a stunning first victory for Perry.

Despite a few minor technique errors the team lived up to Coach Johnson’s expectations. “We played very well [however] some of their shots were going into the net. Either they didn’t straighten their arm enough or up close turning their wrist a little too soon was forcing the bird into the net. You need that extra inch or two to get it over,” she explained.

With the team’s unexpected breakthrough season last year, the pressure is on to take it all the way to the top. Coach Johnson believes this year the team has what it takes to eventually rise to victory. But of course, there’s still plenty of room for improvement in order to reach that goal.

“We can’t have the unforced errors if we want to win a championship,” coach Johnson announces. “If we make it to the finals and state they are really going to have to fix some of the little details to push us above the other teams.”

With their eyes on the prize, the team is solely working on perfecting every detail of their performance.

“I just hope they come out and play their best from the first serve,” coach Johnson shares.

For now, the teams goal is to perfect all the little details in order defeat the upcoming challenges. Focused on victory, Perry faces Gilbert High School on Tuesday.