In a rematch of last year’s regional quarterfinal matchup, the Hamshire-Fannett tennis team took down Little Cypress-Mauriceville once again on Tuesday.
The Longhorns dominated action from start to finish, advancing into the Class 4A regional semifinals with a 17-2 victory over the Bears at Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center.
Hamshire-Fannett coach Helene Czudek said her team was very familiar with LC-M, having seen them in last year’s postseason. She was impressed with the focus from the Longhorns, who had the overall competition wrapped up before many of the singles matches even ended.
“We happened to see LC-M again, and they didn’t just give it to us,” said Czudek, a former player at Lamar University. “But we were ready. I’m very proud of the work that my kids have put in, and they are very motivated, so it was good to see.”
In high school team tennis, each match is worth one point. Seven of those points come from doubles — three girls, three boys and one mixed doubles match. The other 12 points come from singles play, with six boys and six girls singles matches.
Hamshire-Fannett won all of the doubles points, giving the Longhorns a big lead before singles play even began. Czudek praised the progress from her girls players. At times last year, the Longhorns had to rely on the boys to win points. That’s not the case this season.
“It’s a very well-balanced team that we have this year,” Czudek said. “The girls have worked so hard to get where they’re at now.”
After jumping out to the big lead thanks to the strong doubles performance, Hamshire-Fannett didn’t waste much time securing the overall win in singles play.
The only LC-M wins of the day came from Elaina Forrester in girls singles, and Dax Rogers in boys singles on court No. 1.
“Even though we lost today, it was great to go as far as we did and meet the expectation that I had set for me personally and the team as a whole,” said Rogers, a senior.
LC-M reached the regional quarterfinal match on Tuesday with wins over Splendora in the bi-district round and El Campo in the area round. Bears coach Brett Nicholson lauded her team’s effort despite the season-ending loss to Hamshire-Fannett for the second straight year.
“That’s what happens when you’re two of the top teams in Southeast Texas, but I couldn’t be more proud of how we competed today,” Nicholson said.
The Bears will get about a month off before starting the spring season, which consists of individual tennis that features bracket play between up to a dozen teams in one day.
“It’s not much of an offseason, but we’ll rest up and be back in full force,” Nicholson said.
As for Hamshire-Fannett, the Longhorns will have a quick turnaround of their own this week as they continue their playoff run. They’ll face Center on Thursday in Bryan during the regional semifinals.
While LC-M was a familiar opponent for the Longhorns, Hamshire-Fannett has yet to face Center this season.
“At this point, there are only very competitive teams left,” Czudek said. “We’ve never played Center, but we’ll be ready for whatever happens.”
Matt Faye is a Sports Reporter and Columnist for the Beaumont Enterprise. Contact him at MFaye@BeaumontEnterprise.com or on Twitter by clicking here.
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