Tennis players advance to state tournament

Wimberley High School’s Texan Tennis continues its streak of success sending four to the University Interscholastic League Tennis finals after qualifying last week in the regional tournament at North East ISD in San Antonio.

John Moore and Ella Malone enter as regional champions with the girls doubles team of Sarah Cook and Gwen Pierce taking the silver to advance.

Coach Ken Gustafson said he is excited for the prospects and the play of his teams.

“We feel awesome going forward,” he explained. “John’s got a tough draw but is playing incredible tennis. Ella has stepped up her resolve and showed multiple times now that she’s ready. She’s pulled her mental and emotional stuff together, grabbing momentum when the opportunity comes along.”

“Gwen and Sarah are facing state-level competition, but it’s an even draw,” he added. “They’ve got a lot of experience and work well together. They’ll have a good shot.”

Moore is the senior of the group and is seeking a state championship while on a roll, having lost only three games in both district (2) and regional (1) tournaments.

“What John has done (dropping only three games in two playoff tournaments) is unheard of. He’s just not being phased with the level of competition around him,” Gustafson commented. “Looking at his draw, he’s gonna have a really tough first round.”

“While the road certainly doesn’t get any easier, we like his match ups better against whoever might be in the second round,” he continued. “There’s a kid from Anna High School who is pretty darn good that John could see in the finals but we can see him getting there. John’s playing a different level of tennis right now.”

“I’m very confident in my level of tennis. I feel like I can go and win pretty much every match I play,” said Moore. “This is my third year in a row going into state, so I know what to expect, how emotions play into it, what the courts are gonna be like. I feel prepared for what the state tournament will throw at me.”

Malone seems to have developed a heightened situational awareness and mental toughness over this season. On her path to the regional championship, she played strong against a district opponent she struggled with in the past. She said she has worked hard to overcome emotional barricades to match the intensity of the physical play she brings to the court.

“I’ve continued to develop my shots and skills but my mental game has been a really big part of my success. I have really emphasized growing my mental game and staying calm in matches — not getting too tight or nervous — which has played a big part in me being able to play to my full potential,” Malone said.

“She’s playing at a very high level right now, which we’re excited to see,” Gustafson said regarding Malone. “Looking at her draw, she’s going to face some players she’s seen before. She’s showing great tenacity and playing smart tennis.”

The girls doubles team of Cook and Pierce find their strength in a friendship that spans nearly a dozen years and finds them at the end of a journey together on the court. Cook will graduate early this year to take some time off prior to enrolling in college in 2024.

“It’s an awesome opportunity, and I’m so excited about it, especially that it happened with Sarah. She’s been my best friend throughout all of high school,” Pierce explained. “I think that having chemistry with her makes it even more special.”

“It also makes it easier to get along,” she continued. “We understand each other and like, know each other’s next move. I’m more aggressive than she is and she is more consistent than I am. Put the two together. It just works out really well for our tennis game.”

Cook recognized the special nature of their relationship and how it enhances their on-court effort.

“Playing together for the past two years, we’ve also been really good friends,” she said. “So, when we talk about strategy, get ourselves prepared for the match mentally and physically, we know where the other is coming from. Playing a playback (at regionals) definitely made it more difficult, but it set us up to be more competitive going into state, rather than just going in after losing in the finals, we got a chance to battle our way to stay.”

“We’re trying to use that momentum to kind of carry us over,” shared Gustafson about winning a playback to reach state. “Knowing what we know about all the teams, everything’s going to be super competitive. Everybody’s got a really solid chance and it will come down to whoever’s playing the best tennis.”

Gustafson added his excitement over the play of the mixed doubles team of Kennedy Carson and Zach Ziola who finished fourth in regionals last week.

“They did an amazing job,” he said. “They made it through the first two rounds against two solid teams from Sinton and Calallan. Both were champions from their districts, so we knew we were gonna have our hands full, but we were peaking at the right moment.”

“They lost to the eventual regional champion, going toe to toe with them in the first set,” he explained. “We weren’t at all disappointed with that result. We were just happy to be in there and fight, especially for two people that haven’t been on a stage like that one before.”

The state tournament is scheduled to start for Wimberley with the 4A boys singles at 9:15 a.m. and the 4A girls doubles and singles matches at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25 at the Annemarie Tennis Center in San Antonio. Finals will be held on Wednesday, April 26 at the Northside Tennis Center in Helotes, beginning at 8:30 a.m.