When Pinnacle senior Sydney Boyd was eliminated from the GUHSD Badminton Tournament Saturday with a third-place finish, she could have retreated to the bleachers to start prepping for the homecoming festivities she and the rest of the Pioneer badminton team would participate in later that evening. Instead, one of Pinnacle’s senior captains helped the other.

Boyd and Pinnacle head badminton coach Charlie Zeeb talked about her match, and then observed senior Morgan Rucker as she battled an opponent in the semifinals of her singles bracket. When Rucker finished up her straight-set win over Sunnyslope's Allison Rodriguez, she was greeted with advice to help her in the championship match.

“Use more sides,” Boyd advised Rucker, who often relies on her power to defeat opponents.

During Pinnacle’s non-tournament matches, the Pioneers typically partner Boyd and Rucker to create a formidable duo which has a 5-2 record in 2019. Even on a day where the best friends and senior captains played by their lonesome, when it mattered most the duo partnered to secure another win.

“Our communication is really what is key for [success] because that’s the strongest part of doubles,” Boyd said. “Off the court we really know how to help each other out with what we need help with.”

“I feel like singles makes me work a lot harder because I’m more of a power player,” said Rucker, who holds a 7-1 singles record this season. “I don’t really think as much… I don’t strategize as well. But, when I’m with Sydney she’s more of the strategy player and I’m more of the power player, so together we’re the perfect combination.”

Equipped with the advice of her doubles partner, Rucker defeated Chandler's Alana Alfredo in three sets and took home the championship in the GOLD singles second bracket.

The success of Rucker isn’t surprising to anyone surrounding the Pinnacle badminton program.

The Pioneers are 7-1 in 2019, haven’t lost since a Sept. 3 match with Perry High School, and  have emerged as one of the premier programs in the state during recent years. After going 6-8 with the program in its infancy in 2013, Pinnacle now has five straight winning seasons and is on its way to a sixth. Still, Zeeb said this Pioneer team is different from those in the past.

“The team chemistry this year is some of the best chemistry that the Pinnacle badminton team has ever had,” Zeeb said. “Our girls are there for each other. We smile. We laugh. We get through the tough times together. They never give up.

“You’ll look at some of our scores and we have a lot of split matches and most often our girls prevail after those split matches.”

Zeeb said the unity of the Pioneers roster can be attributed to the competitiveness of their practices. Often, Boyd and Rucker can be found matching up against each other. Rucker said the senior captains welcome different matchups, and exchange tips with teammates.

“I guess [teammates] can look up to me and Sydney because we always go back and forth,” said Rucker, who missed a tournament and a match with a partially dislocated shoulder earlier this season. “We play each other. We challenge each other all the time, and I feel like we challenge the team together.

“It really brings everyone closer, too, because we are able to play different players styles, and we’re just making everyone better that way.”

In Saturday’s round-robin tournament, the competitiveness of the Pioneers showed in the doubles competitions as juniors Bella Williams and Chloe Strachan won the doubles GOLD first division, with senior Emma Dorch and junior Sam Dirks taking second place in the doubles GOLD second division. With Pinnacle still seeking its first badminton state championship in school history, Rucker said the team focus has increased from previous seasons.

“Every single player just works so hard,” Rucker said. “We are so invested… and I feel like all the players just want to do the best they can. Everyone is putting in everything they have.”

Rucker, Boyd and the rest of the Pioneers are back in action against Westwood on Tuesday at Pinnacle with matches starting at 4 p.m.