East Meadow District girls badminton sparked by Abraham/Lam doubles pairing in win over Bellmore JFK

Senior Kezia Abraham yelled out “Rach” as the birdie came flying toward her end of the court, tied at 19 in the second game of the first doubles badminton matchup between East Meadow District and Bellmore JFK.

That “Rach” was her partner, junior Rachael Lam, who stepped up and lofted a high shot back to give her and Abraham time to reset. Seconds later they won the point and eventually the match, 21-11, 21-19, over Bellmore JFK’s Samantha Phillips and Elizabeth Reznik.

The duo moved to 9-3 on the season, and that’s exactly where East Meadow finds itself after its 7-0 road win over Bellmore JFK Thursday in Nassau III. That chemistry between Abraham and Lam began suddenly last year as the former’s partner suffered a torn ACL, leading Lam to step in despite having only played exhibition matches before.

“It was very stressful [at the start],” Lam said. “I can always depend on her, it’s almost like playing with myself. We’re very alike in a lot of ways.”

“It was really hard at first, I was so used to how my other partner played,” Abraham said. “But Rachael picked up really quickly. All the things I’m flawed at she’s really good at.”

Abraham, who also worked her way up after starting in fourth doubles, pointed to the team’s progression as a reason for its success. Senior Mina Yang — also 9-3 on the season  was one of those players, beginning as an exhibition player before working her way to first singles.

That role saw her defeat Bellmore JFK’s Alexa Isaac in three games, 19-21, 21-10, 21-12. After losing the first game Yang used what she saw to adjust her process.

“I learned that every time I would give her a long serve, it would be [returned] as a straight drive,” Yang said. “I would just predict left or right.”

Second doubles duo Caitlyn Viegas and Valentina Monteverde managed to close out a two-game win over Holishka Sehgal and Logan Minster with a 22-20 finish in game 2, and third doubles Celina Yu and Jade Castaneda defeated Juliet Cener and Jillian Rosenkrantz in three games, 21-15, 20-22 and 21-9.

Each contributed to East Meadow’s five-game winning streak, leading to a clash with Nassau III leaders Division and Manhasset next week. But just as importantly, every player helped create what Lam described as “a home,” one that Yang appreciates now more than ever as her senior season winds down.

“If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be playing badminton right now,” Yang said. “They’re going to do amazing without me.”