Sunday, October 29, 2000

AHS ousted from region tennis tourney

By Brett Vito
Reporter-News Staff Writer

For the first time since 1996, there was not a team from Abilene in the finals of the Region I-5A tennis tournament.

Lubbock Coronado beat Abilene High, the defending state champion, 10-8 in Saturday morning’s semifinals. Then Saturday afternoon, El Paso Coronado dodged rain showers to oust Lubbock Coronado, 10-3, to capture the regional championship and advance to the Class 5A state tournament next weekend in Austin.

“After losing all the kids we did after last season, I was tickled with the fact that we won the district title,” Abilene High coach Fred Scott said. “We knew that Coronado would be tough. We came close to beating them, but didn’t get it done.”

Lubbock Coronado eliminated Abilene behind a strong performance from its boys, who won all three doubles matches and four of five singles matches. The sixth singles match was stopped when the Mustangs won their 10th and deciding match.

Jacob Herman, who played No. 2 singles, was the only Abilene High boy to win his singles match. Herman beat Jonathan Lindsey 6-1, 6-1.

“Our strength is our guys,” Coronado coach Jim Carter said. “The girls usually pull out just enough matches to make the difference.”

Abilene High dominated the girls’ side of the event by winning all three doubles matches and four of the six singles matches.

One of the few girls singles matches Lubbock Coronado managed to win turned out to be the boost the Mustangs needed to knock off Abilene High.

The Eagles grabbed an 8-7 edge and needed to win two of the four remaining matches to advance to the finals.

But Coronado evened the match when Ame Blacketer came from a set down to beat Emily Antilley at No. 6 singles, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Blacketer’s win left three matches in progress, all on the boys’ side in which Coronado had a decided advantage.

The Mustangs needed to win two of those three matches to advance and quickly converted. Mitchell Anderson came from a set down to beat Beau Cox at No. 1 singles, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Then Ryan Carmichael finished off Abilene High by beating Steven Herrera, 7-6, 6-1.

Saturday marked the third straight season Abilene High and Coronado have played in the regional tournament. The Mustangs won two years ago before falling to Abilene High last season.

“I thought we would have won more of our guys matches,” Scott said. “We have played better before, but you have to give Coronado credit. They played a great match.”

Lubbock Coronado 10, Abilene High 8

Boys Singles — Mitchell Anderson, Coronado, def. Beau Cox 5-7, 6-2, 6-3; Jacob Herman, AHS, def. Jonathan Lindsey 6-1, 6-1; Brent Hunter, Coronado, def. Bryce Hicks 7-5, 6-3; Kurt Pessa, Coronado, def. Nathan Johnson 6-1, 6-1; Ryan Carmichael, Coronado, def. Steven Hurrera 7-6, 6-1

Boys Doubles — Anderson-Lindsey, Coronado, def. Cox-Johnson 7-6, 7-6; Hunter Pessa, Coronado, def. Herman-Hicks 6-2, 7-6; Key-Kyeser, Coronado, def. Herrera-Eaton 6-4, 6-7, 6-2

Girls Singles — Megan Langston, AHS, def. Kristen Carmichael 6-3, 7-6; Shelly Pessa, Coronado, def. Kama Scott 6-3, 3-6, 6-4; Jessica Paup, AHS, def. Hillary Hale 6-0, 6-1; Liz McCracken, AHS, def. Nikki Smith 6-3, 4-6, 6-1; Catherine Roark, AHS, def. Marlowe Maloef 7-5, 6-4; Ame Blacketer, Coronado, def. Emily Antilley 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Girls Doubles — Langston-McCracken, AHS, def. Danielle Craig-Smith 6-2, 6-4; Scott-Paup, AHS, def. Ashley Stallings-Maloef 6-2, 6-4; Roark-Antilley, AHS, def. Blacketer-Carmichael 6-4, 6-3

Mixed doubles — Carmichael-Pessa, Coronado, def. Quintin Walker-Cox 6-0, 6-0

Contact staff writer Brett Vito at 676-6771 or vitob@abinews.com. We are on the Web at http://sports.texnews.com.