Defending Team Tennis state champion Wimberley Texans finished off a fantastic season at the Region 4 finals last week. They fell short against a talented district foe Boerne in the regional championship final held at the Anna Marie Tennis Center in San Antonio.
The Texans advanced to the finals by dispatching Uvalde in the semi-final round with a 10-7 victory. Wimberley came from behind after finishing the doubles round at 3-4. Highlights of doubles matches included Austin Hooper and Drew Vinson scrapping for a three set victory over a team from Uvalde that, at least on paper, had the appearance of a difficult out. The doubles team of Ella Malone and Maggie Moore played an impressive match, closing out their opponents in a straight set win. Both advanced in singles play and won those matches quickly.
Senior team captain John Moore came out on top of a highly competitive match. He faced Uvalde’s Ty Gonzalez, one of the best players in Region IV according to Coach Gustafson. “John’s a strong player and a leader for our program. He exemplifies all the good things you talk about. He came out on top in a very tough match. All of these kids battled and played hard for the team win,” Gustafson added. Girls’ singles went 5-0 to catapult the Texans to the finals.
The Texans’ district has produced multiple state champions and state finalists in Wimberley, Fredericksburg and Boerne over the past decade, so it wasn’t a surprise for Wimberley to face Boerne in the finals. Texan doubles teams ran into a buzzsaw against the Greyhounds, though, finishing 2-5 heading into singles play. The team of Malone and Moore played hard for a two set win at 6-1, 6-2. They were joined in victory by Kate and Kennedy Carson who earned a three set win after losing a first set tie-breaker, then taking the last set in a first-to-10 point tiebreak format, 10-5.
“We played under a lot of pressure,” Gustafson said. “The Boerne fans were in full vocal support of their players. Though our kids responded well, they were just too far behind with too few opportunities to flip the outcomes for the win.” The lone singles victory recorded before games were called was Gwen Pierce’s straight set 6-1, 6-2 match. John Moore, Lea Martin, and Maggie Moore were each leading when Boerne completed their tenth victory, bringing the finals to a close.
Gustafson had high praise for the 12-7 Texans this season.
“We play hard schedules with some good 5A and 6A schools before district so that our kids gain highly competitive match experience. There are positives to take out of this season and to serve as motivation for the spring. An example is how kids were counted out in the Fredericksburg matches and how they responded. Fredericksburg has a talented team with a legendary coach and a history of winning, but we answered the question of whether a young team with heart can go in and beat a team with all of that going for it. The kids showed guts and fought back from behind against Uvalde. They won hard matches and advanced. There are so many positives including much growth, maturity and experience.”
