Marble Falls team tennis beats Davenport
CAPTION: Chloe Brown was the only Lady Mustang to win her singles match en route to helping the team tennis squad advance to the next round of the Class 4A playoffs. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School team tennis squad defeated San Antonio Davenport 10-5 Oct. 6 for a bi-district championship in the Class 4A playoffs.
Marble Falls will face La Vernia at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, at Fredericksburg High School in the second round of the playoffs. La Vernia defeated Crystal City 16-3.
The Mustangs and Lady Mustangs advanced to the second round in 2023 where they lost to Waco Robinson.
Against Davenport, the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs followed the script coaches thought the team must have to advance.
“I felt like we had a decent chance,” head coach Samuel Whitley said. “I thought we were evenly matched across-the-board. Me and (assistant coach Nathan) Redman talked late last week, and a little bit (the morning of the matches) and felt like we really needed to come out of the doubles matches at 4-3, which we did. Our No. 1 and No. 3 girls doubles and our No. 1 and No. 2 boys doubles (won). I felt like we were really in good position at that point. And I thought that was crucial in all honesty.”
The No. 1 boys doubles team of Cooper Womack and Cooper Kelley won 6-1, 6-2, the No. 2 boys doubles team of Payton Glaser and Nicholas Smith prevailed 6-4, 6-4, while the No. 1 girls double team of Neveah Nelson (Montoya) and Sophia Trudeau won 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) and the No. 3 girls doubles team of Chloe Taylor and Elsa Vandiford prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 11-9.
With a 4-3 lead headed into the singles matches, the Mustangs and Chloe Brown at No. 5 girls singles took over.
Glaser and Brown each needed three sets to decide their matches, but they got it done and propelled Marble Falls into the next round of the postseason.
“And as far as the boys’ singles goes, Cooper Womack was down early,” Whitley said. “I think he was down 1-4 in the first set, and then he finally figured out what he needed to do and ended up winning the first set 7-5 and the second set 6-2.”
Three aspects about this head-to-head matchup against the Wolves stood out.
First, Marble Falls won just about every tiebreaker in the matches.
“So those matches right there, those tiebreakers made a big difference,” the coach said. “The whole script is flipped if we lose those tiebreakers. I felt like we had a chance, but I also felt like it was going to be a good match. It was going to be evenly matched across the bord. In fact, I think I had told someone we could win 18-1 and we could lose 18-1. Those matches were going to be very crucial. Winning those tiebreakers is what really made the difference.”
Second, by winning those tiebreakers, the Mustangs and Lady Mustangs showed their mental toughness in not allowing a bad point turn into a bad game, set and match.
“That’s something that we emphasize all the time is the mental aspect of the game,” Whitley said. “Because that’s the biggest thing.”
He pointed out Brown lost the first set 2-6 but came back to win the match 6-2, 10-2. Observers noted the Lady Mustangs’ opponent seemed to struggle with what happened in the second set. Meanwhile, Brown simply did what she was coached to do.
“That’s where we go back to teach next ball, next ball, next ball,” Whitley said. “Don’t worry about the past. Go to the next ball.”
Taylor and Vandiford did the same in their doubles match, prevailing in the third set 11-9.
“They won a close one there,” the coach said. “They stayed focused on what needed to be done – next ball. They didn’t get down. And that’s very hard to do when you win the first set and you lose the second set, it’s hard. Payton Glaser, same thing. He won the first set 6-1 and then turned around and lost his second set but came back and won the tiebreaker.”
The final part is the Mustangs took care of the Wolves swiftly in winning five singles matches en route to earning the 10th match victory to win the head-to-head matchup. In team tennis, squads play 19 matches and the first to earn 10 match victories wins the overall match-up.
“You expect your Nos. 1, 2 and 3 to win, but the deal is – is your best playing their best?” Whitley said. “So it’s important that everybody gets a win. (The matches) could have easily come down to (other players further down the tennis ladder). It’s a situation you don’t want to be in, but that’s what happens. My top three girls were still on the court. When we finished, my No. 4 girl won her match and all the boys had finished. But my top three girls were still on the court playing, so they were in essence a non-factor again. It’s one through six and everybody has an important role. It’s not just the top kids.”
CAPTION: Cooper Womack (at the net) and Cooper Kelley won their boys doubles and singles matches to propel Marble Falls to a win against Comal Davenport. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
RESULTS
BOYS
Singles
Cooper Womack def. Rudy Garcia 7-5, 6-2; Cooper Kelley def. ty Bates 6-2, 6-0; Nicolas Smith def. Jax Martens 6-2, 7-5; Payton Glaser def. Lance Martens 6-1, 4-6, 10-6; Glenn Banton def. Will Kreitz 6-2, 6-4; Jared Smith lost to Luke Cardenas 2-6, 5-7
Doubles
Womack and Kelley def. Bates and J. Martens 6-1, 6-2; Glaser and N. Smith def. Cardenas and L. Martens 6-4, 6-4; S. Smith and Banton lost to Ryan Wuest and Kreitz 6-7 (4-7), 3-6
GIRLS
Singles
Chloe Brown def. Ryan Willis 2-6, 6-2, 10-2; Mia Hernandez lost to Greenley Lemmons 2-6, 1-6
Doubles
Nelson (Montoya) and Trudeau def. Stuessy and Murguia 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); Brown and Briana Morales lost to Lemmons and Alexa Glebus 3-6, 0-6; Chloe Taylor and Elsa Vandiford def. Willis and Beth Bates 6-4, 3-6, 11-9
MIXED DOUBLES
Logan Hargraves and Savanna Hamblin lost to Rudy Garcia and Braelyn Snyder 3-6, 2-6
