Tennis sends three teams to State

It was a heated match and the crowd was certainly into the action. The problem was figuring out who to root for.

The UIL 4A Tennis Regional Finals match has played out dozens of times before on the courts at Wimberley High School only then it was called practice.

Both of Wimberley’s boys’ doubles tennis teams met in the regional finals. Both sides of the court knew they would be headed to the state tennis tournament because the top two teams advanced. Still it was dramatic, and perhaps a little strange at the same time.

“It was awkward,” Tennis Coach Lauren Huse said laughing. “Really, it was good tennis, which is fun to watch, especially when it is both your teams out there. The crowd doesn’t know who to root for, so you just cheer for the point and cheer for good tennis.”

Peyton Anderson and Cooper Doss are usually the No. 2 boys’ doubles team in Wimberley, but they jumped out to a quick start leading 4-1 in the first set. Tate Murphy and Drew Gonzales, who are typically the top Texan team, fought back to win the set and the match. Because the two Boys’s teams are on different sides of the bracket, it is possible for both of them to meet in the state finals.

And they aren’t the only Texan tennis players to advance to state.

The Wimberley mixed doubles team of John Moore and Madi Elliott placed second at regionals and will also advance. The regionals weren’t much of a match for the team as they swept through the tournament until they faced Fredericksburg in the finals.

“They rolled through every opponent until Fredericksburg,” Huse said. “We just didn’t wake up right. We didn’t have our game that morning.”

Fredericksburg won quickly. The Texans were forced to play the third place team Zapata once more and won 6-2, 6-1 to solidify second place and a trip to the state tournament.

“It was like a completely different doubles team out there on our side,” Huse said. They played with so much confidence. It was the best tennis I’ve seen them play all year long. If they play like they did in that match, they have a pretty good chance at state I feel.”

The quarterfinals at the state tournament will be held on May 20 at 9:15 a.m. for the boy’s doubles and 10:30 a.m. for the mixed doubles. The matches will be held at the Annemarie Tennis Center in San Antonio. If teams advance to the state finals, they will be held on May 21.