By Blake Seitz
Sports Editor
Following a decisive 10-5 win in the district championship, the tennis team heads to Abilene this weekend for the Regional tournament. It will play its first match tomorrow against El Paso Franklin.
This marks the 12th year in a row that Coppell has attended the tournament, a statistic that goes hand-in-hand with the team’s streak of district championships—the team has not attended the tournament as anything less than the district’s number one seed.
Top seeding in district gives Coppell a leg up in the tournament.
“Ones play twos,” head coach Jane Jackson said. “This guarantees we won’t play a championship team in the first round.”
The nature of Texas tennis, however, can negate advantages on paper.
“At the same time,” Jackson said, “we could play a team like San Angelo Central, which is ranked fifth in state yet is second in its district.”
Luck of the draw (literally) is a definitive factor at Regionals, which made the announcement that Coppell would play El Paso Franklin that much more of a relief.
Jackson is confident that the depth of her team can carry the day against Franklin.
“Our depth is incredible,” Jackson said. “We’ve really stepped it up in our third, fourth and fifth singles slots. The team is balanced on both sides.”
This depth could prove crucial in possible later matches against superpower programs like Plano West, Lubbock Coronado, El Paso Coronado and Abilene High. When faced with these opponents Coppell has traditionally been beaten, although it has defeated El Paso on one occasion.
Another deciding factor could be the unlikely presence of two freshmen on the varsity squad. Freshmen Tyler Stayer and Abby White are in positions to make a difference at Regionals—both hold critical matches in the singles lineup.
White, at least, has proven her worth under fire. In the district semifinals, she pulled out the winning match against Southlake Carroll.
Regardless, this is both players’ first Regional tournament, and they will undoubtedly look to the senior leadership for support.
“For freshmen, this is a new experience,” senior captain Shruthi Rajasheker said. “They don’t want to let anyone down, so it’s going to be tough for them.
They’re likely to receive that support, because the Coppell unit is a cohesive and finely-tuned machine.
“Everything that we do brings us closer together as a team,” Rajasheker said. “We spend a lot of time together before our matches even begin. This is definitely a bonding experience.”
Until Coppell’s first match, though, the team can only play the waiting game.
“Our lineups are finalized,” Rajasheker said. “That’s the best we can do.”
