Marble Falls team tennis remains tied for district lead

CAPTION: Cooper Kelley took care of business by winning both of his singles and doubles matches against Burnet. Staff photos by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School team tennis team added another slash to the win column. This one came against Burnet Sept. 3.

The Mustangs and Lady Mustangs won all but one match to remain tied for the District 25-4A lead with Lampasas and Salado.

“We’re still early in the season,” Marble Falls head coach Sam Whitley said. “We have a motto – next ball. We don’t worry about the past. We’re focused on the next thing coming up again. It kind of goes back to what’s called the process. You don’t look at the outcome. You look at the next ball. If you score enough points, you win. We’re not focused on playing and being in first place. We’re working on winning the match.”

That approach has led to some great outcomes for the team tennis program. Marble Falls has advanced to the Class 4A playoffs each of the last four years, since the University Interscholastic League dropped the high school to Class 4A beginning with the 2022-23 school year.

“When we go out to practice, we’re focus on practice and practice is going to make us better for the matches,” Whitley said. “It’s a simple little process. But it’s a mindset of what we need to do now.”

Marble Falls won 18 of the 19 matches.

“We played well as a team,” the coach said. “Doubles did a great job, singles had several singles games that players went out and played their match. Sometimes you’re playing so well that you don’t think the other person is that good of a player. I was talking in front of our players and told them how well we played. One comment was ‘well, they weren’t very good,’ meaning his opponent. And I said, ‘No, you actually played really well. You weren’t hitting the balls out or into the net or wide. You were hitting winning shots that he could not return. When you go out and play like that, you’re definitely going to win.’ He he did a good job, very proud of him.”

CAPTION: Burnet High School’s Hannah Brooks. Courtesy photo

Burnet’s lone win came at No. 5 girls singles when Hannah Brooks defeated Zoey Scott 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (10-8), 7-5. Brooks was named Burnet tennis’ player of the week.

“Hannah is a perfect example of the values and standards we are working to establish within our tennis program,” head coach Jayci Craig said. “She consistently demonstrates a great attitude, works hard, competes with purpose and represents what it means to be a great teammate.”

Tied for fourth are Burnet, Belton New Tech, Jarrell and Lago Vista, which all have one loss.

“There’s still a lot of tennis left to be played,” Whitley said. “We just have to go out and do our job. You win your matches, you’re in first place. It’s the result that comes from staying focused on the future and not looking in the past or looking into the future.”

That’s the approach each week and will continue when Marble Falls welcomes New Tech to the Charlie and Nancy Herrington Tennis Center on the high school campus. Burnet hosts Salado on its courts. Doubles matches begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, and singles matches follow.

“The next match will be tougher,” Whitley said. “So we just need to continue to take care of business.”

CAPTION: Savannah Hamblin won her singles and doubles matches to help Marble Falls stay unbeaten in District 25-4A play.

RESULTS

BOYS

Singles

Cooper Kelley def. Ander Shaffer 6-0, 6-1; Jared Smith def. Knox Bening 6-3, 7-5; Tyler Redman def. Ethan Elias 6-0, 7-5; Sean Smith def. Gatlin Gilmore 6-0, 6-0; Logan Hargreaves def. Mason Stafford 6-2, 6-2; Ben Sowers def. Logan Edwards 6-0, 6-0; Will Gregory def. Miles Davis 6-4, 6-1

Doubles

Kelley and Hargraves def. Shaffer and Bening 6-0, 6-1; J. Smith and Redman def. Stafford and Elias 6-3, 6-2; S. Smith and Sowers def. Davis and Edwards 6-0, 6-0

GIRLS

Singles

Amaris Mitchell-Ochoa def. Rowyn Mulhollan 6-2, 6-3; Savannah Hamblin def. Erin Halford 6-1, 6-1; Bri Morales def. Vae Untermeyer 6-0, 6-0; Harper Cook def. Blake Haynes 6-0; Zoey Scott lost to Hannah Brooks 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (8-10) 5-7; Elle Sanders def. Amara Hakker 6-1, 6-2; Iza def. Eryn Halford 6-1, 6-3; Ximena Montoya def. T. Hyden 6-4, 6-2.

Doubles

Mitchell-Ochoa and Hamblin def. Mulhollan and Halford 6-2, 6-1; Morales and Cook def. Untermeyer and Brooks 6-0, 6-0; Scott and Sanders def. Hakker and Powell 6-2, 6-2

MIXED DOUBLES

Delforty and Schiener def. Gilmore and Haynes 6-0, 6-1; Ximena and Gregory def. Davis and Catlin 6-1, 6-2