Marble Falls tennis to play for district championship
CAPTION: Marble Falls sophomore Cooper Womack wins his singles and doubles matches. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Marble Falls High School tennis team squad is competing for the District 19-4A team tennis title and the No. 1 seed out of the district when the Class 4A playoffs start next week.
The Mustangs welcome Lago Vista, which is seeded No. 1 in the district tournament, at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, to the Charlie and Nancy Herrington Tennis Center on the high school campus.
Marble Falls reached the championship round after defeating Burnet Sept. 28. Mustangs head coach Samuel Whitley noted the matches were as close as the previous week. But this time, Marble Falls had a different hero — Elin Gosslink at No. 4 girls singles. She won 7-5, 3-6, 10-8 in the super tiebreaker.
“We had such even competition the last time we played them,” Whitley said. “It was great to have a girl finish.”
Before she started the super tiebreaker, the coach talked to the Lady Mustang and asked her what was happening on the court. Gosslink told him she “was doing a good job of running her back and forth” but realized she needed to change her strategy a bit to win the match. Whitley said Gosslink concluded on her own what he had been witnessing.
“I love it as a coach when a kid can dissect a game and tell me what they need to do to win,” he said. “In that third set super tiebreaker, she didn’t get too excited. She was focused on playing the next ball and hitting it across the net. Whoever is on the other side of the court doesn’t matter.”
The coach said he emphasizes that big key.
“When I coach our players, they know they’re not playing an opponent,” he said. “I try to teach the kids ‘you’re playing the ball. You’re only playing the ball. Focus on hitting the ball across the net. The player you’re facing on the other side doesn’t matter.’ To me, that’s a big mental aspect of the game. You can get yourself worked up that you want to beat that person, and you make simple mistakes you shouldn’t. Each time that ball comes across the net, it’s a new opportunity. Focus on one point at a time. I think that’s why Elin did well.”
He also pointed out that Chloe Taylor at No. 6 singles was up a set in her match. So players were paying attention to Gosslink and Taylor to see who would finish first and deliver the invaluable 10th win to win the overall match total and advance to the championship round.
“When the girls have lost tiebreakers, they’re discouraged, they’re dejected,” he said. “Sometimes it’s getting over that hump. They finally won one tiebreaker. You can see a little change. It’s become more of a mental game. Elin knew the score was 9-8. We knew what the score was. We try not to get wrapped up in that moment.”
In the rematch this week, Burnet entered a mixed doubles team. Last week the Bulldogs didn’t because they didn’t have enough players for that match. That gave Marble Falls a valuable win before either team took the courts. This time, the Bulldogs made the Mustangs earn it.
“We did pretty much what we did before,” Whitley said. “We swept their boys. We played well enough that we got the 10 wins.”
In District 20-4A Caldwell and Taylor are playing for the third seed. Marble Falls will meet one of those two in the bi-district round depending on how the Mustangs finish against Lago Vista.
While Marble Falls is enjoying advancing to the championship round, Whitley pointed out getting this far is a testament to committing to playing long before two-a-days begins in August. During the summer, Whitley opened the facility and invited players of all ages to play, especially his own athletes.
“This is when it’s paying off,” he said. “That’s why we have success right now. They put in the time. Now they’re getting the results. You put time into something, you’ll reap the benefits. We’re reaping the rewards of it. The stronger this district becomes as a whole, the better chance we have going to state. I not only want to make Marble Falls tennis the best, I want to make our district competitive.”
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RESULTS
Boys
Singles
Womack won 6-3, 6-0; York won 6-3, 6-1; Gasaway won 6-0, 6-0; Schilling won 6-4. 6-1; Glaser won 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
Gasaway and York won 6-3, 6-1; Womack and Kelley won 6-4. 6-1; Schilling and Stence won 6-1, 6-3
Girls
Singles
Trudeau lost 0-6, 0-6; Nelson (Montoya) lost 0-6. 0-6; Gosselink won 7-5, 3-6, 10-8 (super tiebreaker);
Doubles
Gosselink and Brown lost 2-6, 1-6; Hernadez and Trudeau lost 1-6, 0-6; Nelson and Taylor lost 6-0, 1-6, 6-10
Mixed doubles
Derrick and Farris won 6-2. 2-6, 10-5
