How sweet it must feel. After reaching and competing in the state tennis tournament nine straight years, and earning state final appearances six times, Memorial High team tennis won the Class 6A UIL final Thursday, bringing home the state championship title.Memorial’s victory marks the first time in 15 years that a Houston-area high school has been named state tennis champion at the team level. Mustangs team tennis finished this season undefeated, 16-0.
The Mustangs beat Cypress Ranch High School 11-5 on Nov. 2 during the University Interscholastic League (UIL) final game held on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.
“At the season start, I had a feeling that this might just be the year! Having strong girls and strong boys with a lot of depth on both sides really made a great team,” Booth said. The team was ready for every playoff match up.
“We were prepared, we had great captains with amazing leadership skills, great team bonding. The team worked hard every day, we were physically and mentally ready to take on any opponent,” Booth also said. “The entire team believed in themselves and in their teammates.”
This year’s combination of depth, skill, determination, readiness and team dynamics and effort was the formula that led to a state title, he adds. “We believed this was the Mustangs year. We just had to put it all together at the right time, and we did it!”
Speaking of another championship team that paraded downtown on Friday, Coach Booth told the Houston Chronicle after the state win, “You’re never really sure, like the Astros. You know what I mean? You know they could do it, but you have to wait and see.”
“I’m extremely proud of everyone on the MHS tennis team. We are all very excited, and to win a state championship is a lifetime highlight!”
In addition to the team, Coach Booth cited Coach Carol Andrews, Memorial High administration and SBISD Athletics for their work and their support.
It was a first for fall season tennis at Memorial, a top powerhouse performer during the spring season.
The state title was clinched in College Station when Memorial’s Natalie Hur won in straight sets over Cypress Ranch’s Jessica Nelson, 6-2, 6-4, reports The Houston Chronicle.
The Memorial High team tennis student roster includes:
12th Grade: Shyon Ahmadi, Andrew Elias, Andrew Esses, Andrew Gilbert, Joshua Kao, Connally Mooring, Mitchell Purcell, Chloe Sands, Samuel Sapien, Alex Walsh, Ben Westwick, Artur Zigman, Eva Jacobs
11th Grade: Graham Abaoag, Laura Bennett, Thomas Graves, Gracie Hamilton, Walker Herzog, Natalie Hur, Cole Rassner, John Schleider, Drew Shuvalov, Nina Solovyeva, Taylor Stafford, Alex Torrado
10th Grade: Natalija Dimitrijevic, Harrison Herzog, Kiran Singal, Jenny Reynolds
9th Grade: Corbin Barrus, Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, Drew Morris, Elena Ovakimyan, Gavin Simpson, Yann Zigman
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