'Sole goal is to win.' Late-season pairing nets state berth for Hereford mixed doubles duo

LUBBOCK — Nicky Villalovos was over mixed doubles play. For his final high school season, the reigning state champion decided he wanted to be a singles tennis competitor.

Cody Crouch let Villalovos have his way.

At first, Villalovos was having a successful run at singles, but he had Crouch and K'Linda Mason constantly in his ear.

The Hereford senior and Mason were a solid pairing throughout the summer and, if they paired up again, it was sure to be a smashing success.

After months of pushing the idea aside, Villalovos relented.

"I said, 'Put me in the damn draw. I'm ready,'" Villalovos recalled.

With just a few regular-season matches left, Villalovos went back to his roots, teamed up with Mason and found the chemistry they developed months ago.

On Thursday morning at the McLeod Tennis Center, the late-season shift paid off. Villalovos and Mason defeated rivals Mason Bagwell and Lanna McCarley of Pampa to win the Region I-4A mixed doubles titles, ensuring both Hereford players a return to state.

"I think that might have been the best we've played this tournament," Villalovos said. "When the time came, we showed up and I'm very excited for the state tournament."

Mason and Villalovos might as well have been in a toothpaste commercial with the wide smiles they sported throughout the morning. Everything clicked for the Hereford duo, and Mason's constant prodding to get her doubles partner back yielded the ultimate thrill.

"I've been telling him to play mixed since spring started, so he finally did it," Mason said.

Pairing Villalovos and Mason together was something Crouch, the Hereford head coach, wanted to do from the beginning, but he didn't force it. Villalovos — who won the mixed doubles titles with Victoria Betzen in 2021 — was afforded the chance to make his own decisions.

"In my nine years at Hereford, he's the only kid I've given full rein," Crouch said. "What you want to play, that's what you're going to get. That's just how important he is to us."

Crouch said Villalovos and Mason would've been high seeds in their respective divisions — boys singles and girls doubles, respectively — in the region tournament had they stuck with them. Inserting a new mixed doubles team also complicated matters for Hereford.

"We had a really good No. 2 mixed doubles team, and this hurt their chances, and one of them is a senior, but the kids said that's what's best for the team and that's what we want to do," Crouch said, adding that there was pressure from parents and administrators for the move to work.

Luckily, Crouch's trust in Villalovos and Mason was justified with the end result.

Mason and Villalovos will be making return trips to the state tournament in San Antonio. The pair were also part of Hereford's state championship team tennis team in 2019, so they know what's head of them.

Crouch said that Villalovos, in his opinion, is "the best boy athlete to ever come out of Hereford ISD." It's hard to argue.

"We're not making this move to win district or to win regionals," Crouch said. "This move is to win state. That's the sole goal is to win the state championship again."

Despite the loss to Villalovos and Mason, Pampa's Bagwell and McCarley will also be headed to start after winning a playback match to claim second place.

Hereford's Luis Avila fell to Argyle's Jackson hill in the boys singles championship match and came up short against Burkburnett's Payne Brock in a playback later in the day.

Region I-4A Tennis Tournament

Monday & Tuesday at McLeod Tennis Center, Lubbock

Boys Singles

First Round: Jackson Hill, Argyle, def. Dev Bhakta, Levelland, 6-0, 6-0; Ben Madden, Borger, def. Angel Morales, San Elizario, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1; Payne Brock, Burkburnett, def. Ben Gose, Benbrook Middle, 6-0, 6-1; Maddux Foster, Andrews, def. River Prado, Brownwood, 7-6 (2), 6-2; Caleb Carlson, Krum, def. Robert Heick, Benbrook Middle, 6-0, 6-0; Slone Early, Gatesville, def. Jose Esparza, Fabens, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Eric Landin, Big Spring, def. Carlos Porras, Andrews, 6-2, 6-4; Luis Avila, Hereford, def. Isai Regino, Vernon, 6-1, 6-4.

Quarterfinals: Hill def. Madden, 6-1, 6-2; Brock def. Foster, 6-4, 6-3; Early def. Carlson, 6-4, 6-4; Avila def. Landin, 6-2, 6-0.

Semifinals: Hill def. Brock, 6-1, 6-1; Avila def. Early, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

Third Place: Brock def. Early, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3

Championship: Hill def. Avila, 6-2, 6-2

Playback: Brock def. Avila, 6-3, 7-5 (5)

Girls Singles

First Round: Meghna Arun Kumar, Argyle, def. Anna Mitchell, Gatesville, 6-0, 6-0; Cora Bell, Canyon, def. Natalia Lopez, Big Spring, 6-2, 5-7, 6-0; Aubren Jeppesen, Andrews, def. Addisyn Little, Benbrook Middle, 6-0, 6-0; Ann James, Hirschi, def. Zaida Ortega, San Elizario, 6-1, 6-1; Presleigh Smith, Vernon, def. Rylee Johnson, Argyle, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; Ella Dudley, Hereford, def. Irene Granados, Clint, 6-4, 6-2; Emily Kocak, Big Spring, def. Maryann Hernandez, DH Jarvis, 6-3, 6-2; Stormy Tatum, Gatesville, def. Jocelyn Lujan, Andrews, 6-0, 6-0.

Quarterfinals: Kumar def. Bell, 6-0, 6-1; James def. Jeppesen, 6-1, 6-3; Smith def. Dudley, 6-1, 6-1; Tatum def. Kocak, 6-0, 6-0.

Semifinals: Kumar def. James, 6-0, 6-0; Tatum def. Smith, 6-1, 6-0.

Third Place: Smith def. James, 7-6 (2), 6-3.

Championship: Kumar def. Tatum, 6-2, 6-1.

Boys Doubles

First Round: Kell Castleberry/Max Jones, Vernon, def. Christian Ceballos/Matthew Pena, Sweetwater, 6-0, 6-0; Fabian Monarrez/Gael Trejo, San Elizario, def. Evan Connelly/Sean Dickerson, Benbrook, 6-0, 6-0; Frances Kaing/Eh Ku Soe, Dumas, def. Carlo Martonez/Alex Scott, Gatesville, 6-4, 6-1; Corben Flores/Jathan Slaughter, Andrews, Cody Gill/Jacob Ramon, Argyle, 6-2, 6-4; Steven Morris/Kaleb Nance, Midland Greenwood, def. Jaineel Patel/Jorge Urbina, Western HIlls, 6-2, 6-1; Carter Holt/Jacob Thompson, Argyle, def. Bryan Alainz/Roberto Romero, Riverside, 6-2, 6-3; Hector Leyva/Austin Ramirez, Sweetwater, def. Luke Rogers/James Vasquez, Lampasas, 6-1, 6-1; Coden Coker/Burkburnett, def. Isaac Reynolds/Trace Thomas, Canyon, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

Quarterfinals: Castleberry/Jones def. Monarrez/Trejo, 6-0, 6-1; Kaing/Soe def. Flores/Slaughter, 7-6 (4), 6-3; Holt/Thompson def. Morris/Nance, 6-3, 6-3; Coker/Kahn def. Leyva/Ramirez, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

Semifinals: Kaing/Soe def. Castleberry/Jones, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3; Holt/Thompson def. Coker/Kahn, 7-5, 6-3.

Third Place: Castleberry/Jones def. Coker/Kahn, 6-2, 6-3.

Championship: Holt/Thompson def. Kaing/Soe, 6-1, 6-4.

Girls Doubles

First Round: Maddison Varela/Kinsey Weatherly, Vernon, def. Karitza Bencomo/Christianna Medrano, Dumas, 6-1, 6-1; Hannah Bell/Hayden Bell, Big Spring, def. Karina Hernandez/Yamileth Salazar, DH Jarvis, 6-1, 6-2; Olivia Underwood/Nikki Zablosky, Argyle, def. Tatum Dehart/Trinity Sessoms, Brownwood, 6-3, 6-2; Athena Gomez/Jaslyn Pacheco, Fort Stockton, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2; Kalir Clements/Abby Valdez, Lampasas, def. Nadia Garcia/Ileana Maldonado, Clint, 6-1, 6-0; Aleya Goco/Paige Patterson, Vernon, def. Jesse Avera/Graisyn Good, Andrews, 6-1, 6-0; Emily Kain/Francesca Orvis, Argyle, def. Brandy Jones/Avery Schiffner, Snyder, 6-3, 7-5; Audrey Jackson/Kaitlyn Leonard, Canyon, def. Abbie Miller, Jaymee Naran, Benbrook Middle, 6-0, 6-0.

Quarterfinals: Varela/Weatherly def. Bell/Bell, 6-1, 6-2; Underwood/Zablosky def. Gomez/Pacheco, 6-0, 6-0; Goco/Patterson def. Clements/Valdez, 6-0, 6-2; Jackson/Leonard def. Kain/Orvis, 6-3, 6-0.

Semifinals: Varela/Weatherly def. Underwood/Zablosky, 6-3, 6-1; Goco/Patterson def. Jackson/Leonard, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2).

Third Place: Jackson/Leonard def. Underwood/Zablosky, 6-3, 6-4.

Championship: Varela/Weatherly def. Goco/Patterson, 6-3, 6-3.

Mixed Doubles

First Round: K'Linda Mason/Nicholas Villalovos, Hereford, def. Ty Gore/Breanna Serna, Andrews, 6-1, 6-0; Peter Le/Victoria Ramos, Brownwood def. Tristen Marlow/Maddie White, Argyle, 6-1, 6-4; Audi Goodman/Dane Kieschnick, Vernon, def. Ananya Limaye/Kaiden Roberts, Big Spring, 6-0, 6-1; Jorge Alamo/Janel Esparza, San Elizario, def. Joe Avery/Caroline Hawkins, 6-4, 7-5; Julee Sun/Ty Warren, Gatesville, def. Morgan Chapman/Chris Moreno, Snyder, NA; Mason Bagwell/Lanna McCarley, Pampa, def. Lindsey Rodriguez/Jon Saenz, Fabens, 6-4, retired; Jenyfer ARgumedo/Mason Moore, Andrews, def. Roy Castellanos/Alejandra Mares, Wester Hills, 6-2, 6-0; Elaina Hildner/Drew Van Wyk, Argyle, def. Lavery Gonzales/Kristina Urista, Vernon, 6-1, 6-4.

Quarterfinals: Mason/Villalovos def. Le/Ramos, 6-4, 6-4; Goodman/Kieschnick def. Alamo/Esparza, 6-0, 6-0; Bagwell/McCarley def. Sun/Warren, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; Hildner/Van Wyk def. Argumedo/Moore, 6-0, 6-4.

Semifinals: Mason/Villalovos def. Goodman/Kieschnick, 6-0, 7-5; Bagwell/McCarley def. Hildner/Van Wyk, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

Third Place: Goodman/Kieschnick def. Hildner/Van Wyk, 6-4, 6-2.

Playback: Bagwell/McCarley def. Goodman/Kieschnick, 6-2, 6-3.

Championship: Mason/Villalovos def. Bagwell/McCarley, 6-2, 6-2.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Late-season pairing nets UIL state tennis berth for Hereford doubles duo