Plano West Wolves triumph over Austin Lake Travis in a decisive battle according to a Dallas Morning News article from October 29 which reports,
“Plano West, after losing in the finals the last two seasons, earned its first state title in team tennis since 2016.
The Wolves (20-1) now have six state championships to their name after knocking off Austin Lake Travis 10-3 in the 6A final.”
But getting into the finals wasn’t a walk in the park as the Wolves had to go through the Woodlands according to a Texas Sports Nation article from October 28 which reports,
“After making its first state tournament appearance last fall, the returning players at The Woodlands were determined to get back.
They accomplished that, but ultimately came up short with an 11-1 loss to a familiar nemesis, Plano West, in the other 6A semifinal Thursday at the Omar Smith Instructional Courts.”
Plano West started strong, garnered a 6-1 lead by the end of doubles play and never looked back. Maria Forero and Andrea Aguilar had the one victory for the Highlanders in girls doubles.
Coach Morgen Walker could only recount the effort and dedication of his players after they overcame their opponents according to a Star Local Media article from October 29 which says,
“Each one of that I’ve been a part of feels a little different. This was very gratifying, the way the team pulled together over the course of the year and just refused to go down,” said Morgen Walker, West head coach. “Seeing kids battle for matches, games and sets, it was a lot of fun. Just the sheer competitiveness of the kids showed up this year, especially these last couple of weeks.”
“It’s a huge luxury to have the kind of depth and talent that we’ve got on the boys side, and I can’t say enough about our girls, too,” Walker said. “They stepped up, competed and got after it in singles as well. It was fun to see them all play like that.”
“Every year is a little bit different. Just the way this team really pulled together as a unit and truly pulled for each other and had that goal in mind,” Walker said. “Especially the last couple weeks, seeing them start stepping up no matter who was on the court and giving everything they’ve got. When you’re getting that, it’s special.
Remarkably, the championship win was Coach Walker’s 501th match win from his entire coaching career after getting his 500th on September 28 against Hebron.