And now that Salado’s Kaitlyn Reed is one of six area tennis players competing at the state meet starting today at the University of Texas’ Pennick-Allison Courts and Lakeway World of Tennis, people might start taking notice.
“A lot of people in Salado are still like ‘You have a tennis team?’” Hyer said. “I’m extremely excited and it’s a bit scary. I’ve been here five years and getting to regional was scary at first. Now fortunately it’s common place. Hopefully the state meet becomes the same way.”
Reed, the District 25-2A and Class 2A Region IV champion, will see a familiar face at the tournament in Academy’s Mallory Beach, who was runner up to Reed at both the district and regional tournaments.
If the district rivals meet a third time it again would be for a championship as they are on different sides of the state bracket. Reed will begin her tournament against San Saba’s Taylor Hibler while Beach gets Mason’s Brittany Estes. Both matches begin at 10:15 a.m. at Pennick-Allison.
“She fit right in,” said Hyer of the sophomore Reed who transferred to Salado from the Houston area. “We knew what to expect when she got here, and her being here and going to state is good for the whole program.”
One thing Reed and Beach won’t have to worry about is meeting up with last year’s Class 2A-state champion, Brittni Fausett. Fausett won back-to-back titles at Winona, but transferred to Cameron Yoe this year, and is going for a title at the 3A level.
Fausett begins play at 9 a.m. at Pennick-Allison against Mia Villasenor of La Feria. Fausett, a junior, should be considered a favorite to claim her third state title after dominating the Class 3A Region III tournament, including a 6-1, 6-3 championship win over Taylor’s Reese Hall, who was a state semifinalist last year.
This year’s 3A final could pit two current state champions as Abilene Wylie’s Brooke Dennis won the Class 3A title last year, and is on the opposite side of the draw from Fausett.
In Class 4A, freshman Malika Bernbridge became the first Copperas Cove player to ever make the state tournament. But now she has a tough task ahead of her as she drew defending state champion Lilly Kimbell in her 10:15 a.m. opening match at Lakeway. The New Braunfels sophomore Kimbell breezed to the title last year, losing only four games in the tournament and is ranked No. 25 in the nation in National Girls 18’ Singles on tennisinformation.com’s ranking system.
In boys competition, Gatesville’s James Westbrook begins his quest for the Class 3A title against Vernon’s Nick Lehman in a 9 a.m. match at Pennick-Allison. Lehman is one of only two players in the draw from last year’s tournament, and should be a good opening test for Westbrook.
And in Class A, Granger senior Garret Pekar returns to the state tournament, after a first-round exit to Gruver’s Taylor Williams in last year’s tournament. Pekar gets a 9 a.m. match at Lakeway against Zach Rambo of Menard and a win could set up a rematch with Williams, who was the state runner up last year.
