Plano West prowling for fourth state team tennis title

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After extending their streak of district championships to 13 and ousting No. 1 see Austin Westlake in the Region II tournament, the Plano West tennis team now has its sights set on a run at another state title.

Coach Morgen Wallker hopes his squad can maintain its momentum and bring home the school’s fourth state title.

The Wolves are no strangers to the state tournament, making their 11^th appearance and having won three consecutive state titles in 2004-2006. West also recently qualified for state in 2008, 2010 and 2011 where the Wolves lost in the semifinals each year.

West was dominant at the Region II tournament in Tyler, opening with 10-0 routs of Round Rock McNeil and Longview before the No. 2 seed Wolves upset top-seeded Westlake, 10-9,  in the finals.

A deeply talented lineup has been the key for this year’s West team. The Wolves have relied on No. 1 singles Adam Mlynarczyk and Alahna Reto, plus No. 2 boys doubles team Race Collins and Jason Jung, and No. 2 girls team Seema Prakash and Cassi Pollock. Those 10-0 triumphs included wins by No. 3 boys doubles team Anshul Pandey and Titus Strom, and No. 3 girls doubles team Brittany Bennett and Tori Simmons, as well as, the mixed doubles team of Mlynarczyk and Maddy Thompson.

West’s quest for another state title won’t be easy. The 5A bracket is full of formidable programs including semifinal opponent Houston Memorial. Memorial ranked No. 1 in the state to West’s No. 2 much of the season, is making its third straight trip to the state tournament. West plays Memorial at 1 p.m. on Friday. If the Wolves get past Memorial, they likely will run into the state’s 5A tennis juggernaut in New Braunfels in the finals. The Unicorns have won five straight state championships and ousted West in last year’s 5A semifinal.

Plano West Team Tennis Roster

Brittany Bennett        Fr.           Jasper

Julia Chung               Fr.           Shepton

Sarah Chung             Jr.

Race Collins              So.          Shepton

Andrew Fuller           Fr.            Shepton

Corey Fuller              Fr.           Shepton

Ariana Gilani             So.          Shepton

Josh Granberry          So.          Shepton

Mark Hainey             So.           Jasper

Emily Houston          So.           Jasper

Kevin Huang             Sr.

Jason Jung               Sr.

Calvin Lee                Sr.

Jonathan Martin        Fr.            Shepton

Yana Maskov             Sr.

Adam Mlynarczyk       Sr.

Daniel Oxenreiter       Jr.

Anshul Pandey           So.          Jasper

Cassi Pollock              Jr.

Seema Prakash          Jr.

Alahna Reto               So.          Jasper

Tori Simmons            Fr.            Shepton

Sean Slater               Sr.

Titus Strom               Fr.            Jasper

Maddy Thompson       Sr.

The UIL State Team Tennis Tournament

Nov. 3-4

George P. Mitchell Tennis Center

Texas A&M University

5A State Tournament Bracket

Friday

Plano West vs. Houston Memorial, 1 p.m.

New Braunfels vs. El Paso Coronado, 1 p.m.

Saturday

Finals, 1 p.m.