Abilene Wylie's mixed doubles teams face off for region tennis title

LUBBOCK – It will be an all-Wylie final in mixed doubles on Tuesday at the Region I-5A tennis tournament at the McLeod Tennis Center – and Abilene will be represented in two other finals.

Wylie’s Stealey Crousen and Trevor Short, the tournament’s top seeds, will play teammates Carly Bontke and Marshall McPherson – the No. 2 seeds – for the mixed doubles title at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

“We knew they were going to be good, and this is exactly what I expected,” Wylie coach Mark Hathorn said. “I’m looking for a battle tomorrow.”

It will be the fifth time this spring the two teams have met in the finals. Crousen and Short have all won all four meetings.

Last year, Crousen and Bontke went to state as girls doubles partners.

Wylie’s Grant Bristow and Connor Brown also will play for the boys doubles championship, while Abilene High’s Griffin Sullivan will play for the boys singles title.

Cooper’s Helena Bridge and Kaylee Connally are still in the hunt for a state berth in girls doubles. Wylie’s Brandon Cowling (boys singles) and Kate Delgado (girls singles) also are still alive. All but Delgado will play for third Tuesday morning with a shot at a playback match for that second state berth.

Delgado’s opponent for the third-place match, Amarillo Tascosa’s Bradley Brown, has already defaulted because of an injury. So, Delgado will have to wait and see if she has a playback match.

Mixed blessings

Wylie’s two mixed doubles teams had little trouble reaching the finals.

Crousen and Short opened the tournament with a 6-0, 6-0 win over El Paso Burges’ Kaitlyn Rodriguez and Dominik Vasquez. They beat Rider’s Isabella Benitez and Carsen Watson 6-0, 6-0 in the second round before dispatching Amarillo High’s Pranev Nambiar and Seren Wilson 6-2, 6-0 in the semifinals.

Bontke and McPherson beat Cleburne’s Angelina Andersen and Cash Pippen 6-3, 6-1 in the first round and Aledo’s Scott Mason and Bryanna Orr 6-3, 6-1 in the second round. Bontke and McPherson beat Amarillo High’s Caroline Artho and Carson Kersh 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals to set up the showdown with their teammates for the region title.

Wylie’s Bristow and Brown, the No. 2 seeds, will play No. 1 seeds Kelton Brown and Wade Bryant of Amarillo High for the boys doubles title.

The Wylie duo advanced to the finals with wins over Fort Worth Arlington Heights’ Evan Garza and Holman Harvey (6-1, 6-0), Amarillo High’s Grayson Taylor and Javier Teran (6-3, 6-0) and third-seeded Jackson Hill and Austin Lewis of Argyle (6-4, 6-4).

Hathorn said the semifinal match with Argyle was a tough one.

“They won that first set, and they got down a little bit in that second,” he said. “We got down 3-0 and 4-1, and we just came storming back. They listened and just played really good doubles toward the end of that set. I couldn’t have been happier with their performance. That was a good team from Argyle.”

Sullivan rolls into finals

Abilene High’s Sullivan, the No. 2 seed, will play top-seeded Ethan Ruppanner of Tascosa for the boys singles title. Ruppanner is a two-time state qualifier, while Sullivan hadn’t got past the first round at regionals the previous two years while the Eagles were still in Class 6A.

“It’s pretty amazing for him to be in the finals,” Abilene High coach Stacy Bryan said. “This kid is amazing off an on the court, and he’s worked so hard for it. I’m so excited about it. Tomorrow’s another day. We’ll see what happens. But right now, we’re going to enjoy being in the finals.”

Sullivan advanced to the finals with wins over El Paso Parkland’s Isaias Lomell (6-1, 6-3), Rider’s Chaitanya Reddy (7-5, 6-2) and Mansfield Timberview’s Olise Roberts (6-2, 6-2).

“I think I played really well today,” Sullivan said. “Just very solid mentally. I persevered whenever things didn’t go my way, and I always found a way to win.”

Added Bryan: “He played three tough matches today, and those boys he played, they were good. We just kept saying, ‘Dig deep. Stay with them. Play big.’ Win or lose, we were just going to go for it.”

Still in the hunt

Cowling, who won his first two matches before falling to Ruppanner 6-0, 6-1 in the semifinals, still has a shot at a state berth if he can win his third-place match against Roberts and Ruppanner beat Griffin – forcing a playback for the second state berth.

“I think he could win that third-place match, and I do think there could be a playback with Griffin,” Hathorn said of Cowling. “But Griffin has the ability to play a pretty high level and win (that final). I hope he (Sullivan) does well. I wouldn’t wish him to lose. It’s just a tough situation.”

Delgado doesn’t have to play a third-place match, and she needs the girl that beat her in the semifinals – Argyle’s Meghna Arun Kumar – to win her finals match against El Paso Highs Daniela Orcanza. That would force a playback match between Delgado and Orcanza for the second state spot.

Kumar won the Class 4A girls singles title last year before Arygle moved up to Class 5A.

Delgado beat Aledo’s Kenley Germany 6-1, 6-1 and El Paso High’s Kennedi Tovar 6-0, 6-1 before falling to Kumar 6-2, 6-1. It was the first time all day for Kumar to drop a game.

Cooper’s Bridge and Connally will play Rider’s Kotomi Nishihara and Eleny Sandoval-Almuna for third place. If the Cooper duo can win and Amarillo High’s Allex Gonzales and Karli Lakey, the No. seeds, beat top-seeded Eleanor Archer and Morgan Ross of Amarillo High in the finals, then they would get a playback with Archer and Ross.

The Cooper team beat El Paso Horizon’s Tatyana Board and Sofia Morales 6-0, 6-0 and Aledo’s Elli Kate Bussmeir and Paige Federman 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 before falling to Gonzales and Lakey 6-3, 6-0.

Wylie’s Kindall Alford and Suhejla Qinami won their girls doubles opener 6-4, 6-2 over Arlington Heights’ Lauren Hull and Mia Rodriguez 6-4, 6-2 before losing a grueling three-set match to Rider’s Nishihara and Sandoval-Almuna 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4).

The state tournament is April 25-26 at Northside Tennis Center in Helotes, near San Antonio.

Region I-5A tennis tournament

at Texas Tech's McLeod Tennis Center

Monday's matches

BOYS

SINGLES

First round

No. 1 Ethan Ruppanner, Amarillo Tascosa, def. Rishi Natarajan, Argyle, 7-5, 6-2; Darren Nava, El Paso Del Valle, def. Tanner Needham, Fort Worth Arlington Heights, 6-0, 6-1; No. 4 Brandon Cowling, Abilene Wylie, def. Ben Farmer, Aledo, 6-0, 6-2; Kaleb Russell, Burleson, def. Santiago Garcia, El Paso Chapin, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5); Alex Earthman, Amarillo High, def. Noah Malin, Grapevine, 6-4, 7-6 (4); Olise Roberts, Mansfield Timberview, def. No. 3 Maximus Martin, El Paso High, 7-5, 6-1; Chaitanya Reddy, Wichita Falls Rider, def. Emil Zuniga Sanchez, Arlington Heights, 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 Griffin Sullivan, Abilene High, def. El Paso Parkland, 6-1, 6-3.

Quarterfinals

Ruppanner, Tascosa, def. Nava, Del Valle, 6-0, 6-0; Brandon Cowling, Wylie, def. Russell, Burleson, 6-3, 6-1; Roberts, Timberview, def. Earthman, Amarillo High, 6-4, 6-3; Sullivan, Abilene High, def. Reddy, Rider, 7-5, 6-2.

Semifinals

Ruppanner, Tascosa, def. Cowling, Wylie, 6-0, 6-1; Sullivan, Abilene High, def. Roberts, Timberview, 6-2, 6-2.

DOUBLES

First round

No. 1 Kelton Brown/Wade Bryant, Amarillo High, def. Spencer Lang/Max Milton, Arlington Heights, 6-0, 6-0; Tobias Pfeiffer/Aaron Shetty, Colleyville Heritage, def. Andrew Cammack/Jackson Cooper, Burleson, 6-3, 6-0; No. 4 Thomas Mann/Daniel Warraich, Coronado, def. Krew Luxton/Aarya Tanjavur, Wichita Falls Rider, 6-2, 6-1; Garrett Ruddock/Charles Shapiro, El Paso High, def. Rolando Campos/Jorge Mendoza, El Paso Hanks, 6-1, 6-1; Craig Mason/Hogan Posey, Aledo, def. Kale Crenshaw/Noah Smith, Burleson Centennial, 6-2, 6-2; No. 3 Jackson Hill/Austin Lewis, Argyle, def. Caleb Chung/Tracy Harrel, Chapin; 6-1, 6-2; Grayson Taylor/Javier Teran, Amarillo High, def. Josiah Leggett/Rodolfo Motta, El Paso Bel Air, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2; No. 2 Grant Bristow/Connor Brown, Wylie, def. Evan Garza/Holman Harvey, Arlington Heights, 6-1, 6-0.

Quarterfinals

Brown/Bryant, Amarillo High, def. Pfeiffer/Shetty, Colleyville Heritage, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3); Mann/Warraich, Coronado, def. Ruddock/Shapiro, El Paso High, 6-0, 6-0; Hill/Lewis, Argyle, def. Mason/Posey, Aledo, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4; Bristow/Brown def. Taylor/Teran, Amarillo High, 6-3, 6-0.

Semifinals

Brown/Bryant, Amarillo High, def. Mann/Warraich, Coronado, 6-2, 6-1; Bristow/Brown, Wylie, def. Hill/Lewis, Argyle, 6-4, 6-4.

GIRLS

SINGLES

First round

No. 1 Meghna Arun Kumar, Argyle, def. Ariana Gomez, Fort Worth North Side, 6-0, 6-0; Gwen Robinson, Midlothian, def. Maria Steans, Amarillo High, 6-4, 6-1; No. 3 Kate Delgado, Wylie, def. Kenley Germany, Aledo, 6-1, 6-1; Kennedi Tovar, El Paso High, def. Bella Saenz, El Paso Parkland, 6-1, 6-1; Bradley Brown, Tascosa, def. Emerson Kosub, Rider, 6-2, 7-6 (2); Gracie Wood, Lubbock-Cooper, def. No. 4 Allison Leath, Denton Ryan, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3; Daniela Ocaranza, El Paso High, def. Brittney Pena, Midlothian, 6-0, 6-0; No. 2 Bianca Harris, Arlington Heights, def. Salma Matamoros, Parkland, 6-0, 6-0.

Quarterfinals

Kumar, Argyle, def. Robinson, Midlothian, 6-0, 6-0; Delgado, Wylie, def. Tovar, El Paso High, 6-0, 6-1; Brown, Tascosa, def. Wood, Lubbock-Cooper, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Ocaranza, El Paso High, def. Harris, Arlington Heights, 6-1, 6-1.

Semifinals

Kumar, Argyle, def. Delgado, 6-2, 6-1; Ocaranza, El Paso High, def. Brown, Tascosa, 6-1, retired.

DOUBLES

First round

No. 1 Eleanor Archer/Morgan Rose, Amarillo High, def. Ashlynn Barclay/Olivia Guzman, El Paso High, 6-3, 6-1; Eva Bernado/Justine Boehler, Midlothian Heritage, def. Sareinah Gutierrez/Natalie Navarette, Del Valle, 7-5, 6-1; No. 3 Kindall Alford/Suhejla Qinami, Wylie, def. Lauren Hull/Mia Rodriguez, Arlington Heights, 6-4, 6-2; Kotomi Nishihara/Eleny Sandoval-Almuna, Rider, def. Francesca Orvis/Olivia Underwood, Argyle, 6-2, 6-3; Elli Kate Bussmeir/Paige Federman, Aledo, def. Alyssa Pfeiffer/Kadence Phillips, Midlothian, 7-5, 6-4; No. 4 Helena Bridge/Kaylee Connally, Abilene Cooper, def. Tatyana Board/Sofia Morales, Clint Horizon, 6-0, 6-0; Abigail Hernandez/Alexis Hovis, El Paso Jefferson, def. Claire Matyastik/Taylor Tracy, Arlington Heights, 6-3, 6-3; No. 2 Allex Gonzales/Karli Lakey, Amarillo High, def. Stephanie Perez/Mili Trivedi, Colleyville Heritage, 6-0, 6-0.

Quarterfinals

Archer/Rose, Amarillo High, def. Bernado/Boehler, Midlothian Heritage, 6-0, 6-0; Nishihara/Sandoval-Almuna, Rider, def. Alford/Qinami, Wylie, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4); Bridge/Connally, Abilene Cooper, def. Bussmeir/Federman, Aledo, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0; Gonzales/Lakey, Amarillo High, def. Hernandez/Hovis, Jefferson, 6-0, 6-0.

Semifinals

Gonzales/Lakey, Amarillo High, def. Bridge/Connally, Abilene Cooper, 6-3, 6-0; Archer/Rose, Amarillo High, def. Nishihara/Sandoval-Almuna, Rider, 6-1, 6-1.

MIXED DOUBLES

First round

No. 1 Stealey Crousen/Trevor Short, Wylie, def. Kaitlyn Rodriguez/Dominik Vasquez, El Paso Burges, 6-0, 6-0; Isabella Benitez/Carsen Watson, Rider, def. Cate Swize/Cannon Wheat, Midlothian Heritage, 6-2, 6-2; Pranav Nambiar/Seren Wilson, Amarillo High, def. Mia Barrios/Guillermo Estrada, Horizon, 6-0, 6-2; Elaina Hildner/Jacob Thompson, Argyle, def. Paulia Lopez/Erick Saavedra, Everman, 6-1, 6-1; Toni Barnes/Justin Vargas, Parkland, def. Rosie Contreras/Luis Fuentes, Fort Worth South Hills, 6-4, 6-2; Caroline Artho/Carson Kersh, Amarillo High, def. Emily Adams/Surya Emandi, Grapevine, 7-5, 6-1; Scott Mason/Bryanna Orr, Aledo, def. Alexia Guevara/Alejandro Ochoa, El Paso High, 6-1, 6-0; Carly Bontke/Marshall McPherson, Wylie, def. Angelina Anderson/Cash Pippen, Cleburne, 6-3, 6-1.

Quarterfinals

Crousen/Short, Wylie, def. Benitez/Watson, Rider, 6-0, 6-0; Nambiar/Wilson, Amarillo High, def. Hildner/Thompson, Argyle, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3; Artho/Kersh, Amarillo High, def. Barnes/Vargas, Parkland, 6-0, 6-2; Bontke/McPherson, Wylie, def. Mason/Orr, Aledo, 6-3, 6-1.

Semifinals

Crousen/Short, Wylie, 6-2, 6-0; def. Nambiar/Wilson, Amarillo High, 6-2, 6-0; Bontke/McPherson, Wylie, def. Artho/Kersh, Amarillo High, 6-0, 6-1.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Wylie fares well on Day 1 of Region I-5A tennis tournament