“Freshman year, I was going to do badminton but I ended up doing track. Then my sister actually convinced me to do it sophomore year,” Orszulak recalled. “We kind of have a background of just doing it for fun, me and my sister in the backyard. I guess it just became one of my favorite activities.”
Olga played badminton for the Bulldogs until graduating in 2017. Now it’s the final weeks for Emilia as one of eight seniors. The Bulldogs compete next week at sectionals, where the top four finishers in singles and doubles advance to the state meet. They find out their site and opponents after Monday’s seeding meeting.
RBHS (10-8-2) gained some momentum by taking third at the Glenbard South Invite, April 13, and beating Plainfield Central 13-2 on Senior Day.
At Glenbard South, junior Clare Ruska and sophomore Aubrey Kaczmarek won No. 2 doubles, senior Katie DeJesus was second at No. 1 singles, and senior Bella Annoreno and junior Luna McNally (No. 1 doubles) and Hannah Frank (No. 3 singles) were third in the six-team, round-robin format.
Orszulak won all five of her No. 2 singles matches last week.
“We work very well together, whether it’s singles or doubles,” Orszulak said. “I feel like every year I’ve been building my skills, especially with my serving. I think I’ve gotten much better at that and covering the court.”
At the 2023 Hinsdale Central Sectional, DeJesus was 2-2 in singles and came two victories from reaching state. The doubles team of Orszulak and Annerino and McNally in singles were both 0-2.
DeJesus has been more proactive with stretching after playing the latter half of 2023 with an overuse injury.
“I couldn’t really feel my shoulder or elbow much. I feel if I had gotten that looked at earlier in the season, I probably would have played better,” DeJesus said. “I didn’t realize how much it would affect my playing until it was too late.”
