The boys’ badminton team started Stony Brook’s 94th spring athletic season on the right foot this afternoon with a 5-4 victory over visiting Smithtown West.

The victory, engineered by a clean sweep of the five singles matches, avenged two narrow 4-5 defeats to the Bulls a season ago. David Choi took the first singles match, 15-9, 15-13, after overcoming an early deficit in set two with a series of artfully placed shots. Haban Weon followed with a decisive 15-5, 15-6 win at second singles while Jerry Liu was barely tested in his third singles win, 15-8, 15-9.

Tiger Sun kept the streak going with a 15-12, 15-11 victory at fourth singles before freshman Kevin Zhang closed out the victory with his fifth singles win. After winning by a narrow 15-14 margin in set one, Zhang built a comfortable lead and then deflected a late rally to emerge victoriously, 15-13.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow afternoon in a match at Miller Place.

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