Net Gains

Collin County is serving up a plethora of young tennis talent that only continues to get better. All Legacy Christian Academy junior Taylor Thrash has done in his first two seasons is win the TAPPS individual state title in dominating fashion. Thrash has yet to drop a set at state and lost only one game a year ago. He has his sights set on the trifecta this year.
At Plano West, sophomore Audrey Weygandt returns after playing in the Class 5A state finals in doubles a year ago. She has a new playing partner in Ashley Lickert but doesn’t see that as any sort of a disadvantage. Even though they have only been a doubles team for a matter of a few months, the sophomore duo already feels comfortable with one another and looks poised for a run at state.
Plano West senior Chris Bell, who went to state in mixed doubles last year, also has a return to the big event in mind. This year, Bell shifts from mixed to regular doubles, where he is teamed with fellow senior Sergio Antonelli, a dynamic duo that went undefeated in the fall. Their coach, Morgen Walker, calls them one of the top doubles tandems in the state, heady praise for these contenders.
Across town at Plano, the boys’ team moves on without former singles standout Askhan Sheikh, a state finalist in 2007 who is no longer with the team. But this spring, the Wildcats could make their biggest splash in mixed doubles with the tandem of Casey Clark and Jessica Wildberger. The pair came within two points of sending the eventual 5A state mixed champs home in defeat at the Region II tournament.
This is the first year of varsity tennis at Frisco Liberty but the Redhawks and Lady Redhawks are already making some noise. Nicole Long and Anna Stone have both already scored impressive singles victories over district or state champions this year. Liberty also narrowly missed qualifying for the state tournament in their first season, falling by point to crosstown rival Frisco Wakeland.
And over at McKinney North, head coach Jon Stein is excited about the return of reigning 9-9-4A singles champ Brandon Florez, who last year, came within an eyelash of making it to state before finishing third in regionals. His talent and great leadership make the Bulldogs a rock-solid squad. Only a junior, Florez looks to return to state, where he competed as a freshman in doubles back in 2006.
        
Legacy Christian Academy: Threepeat for Thrash?
To say that in his first two seasons of high school tennis that Legacy Christian’s Thrash has been a force to be reckoned with in the TAPPS State Tournament is a gross understatement. Thrash, who is the two-time state titleholder, only dropped two games in the 2007 event and has yet to drop a set.
“I’m pretty stoked,” he said. “I’m feeling pretty confident and am hitting the best I’ve ever been hitting. Everything is coming together and I’m growing into my body.”
Thrash’s offseason actually wasn’t much of a break. “I’ve been working with my coach and he’s upped my nutrition and physical fitness,” Thrash said. “I keep my edge through staying confident, by prayer and by staying focused. Because of my physical and mental strengths, I have a lot of confidence and a good mental state going into the tournament, which is the focus.”
He started playing at age four after receiving his first racket from his grandfather. Since then, his love for the game has only intensified. “I played every sport when I was little but tennis really stuck,” Thrash admitted. “The competition and the feeling to be out there by yourself that you have to be the one takes strength and a love of the game. I don’t know what I would do without tennis because I just love the game so much. It has taught me a lot about life and I wouldn’t be the person I am without tennis. It’s an amazing sport.”

Plano West: Doubles Déjc vu?
Last spring, Plano West’s Weygandt, was one half of a doubles team that advanced all the way to the Class 5A state finals. This year, Weygandt is back with that experience under her belt but has a new partner in sophomore Lickert since Ashley Aiken graduated last May but despite the change, she still has high hopes.
“I have a different partner this year and we’re pretty good,” Weygandt said. “We’re working hard and hopefully we will do as well as last year. We felt pretty good about last year even though we didn’t win. It was fun playing all the way through regionals and making it to state. It was a good experience.”
Even though Weygandt and Lickert didn’t start playing together until late last year, Weygandt admits that she’s quite comfortable with her new doubles partner. “We didn’t start hitting together until December but we pretty much know each other’s games,” she said. “We have watched each other a lot since we’re on the same team. Yes, we’re pretty comfortable together.”
Plano West head coach Morgen Walker feels that no matter who Weygandt is paired with, she will be successful. “She was in the state finals last year and that was a great experience for her,” Walker said. “Ashley (Lickert) played doubles last year with Shelby Wheat and they nearly got to the state tournament. Ashley has got some experience and success in spring tennis. I think they’ll be a pretty solid team.”
Walker believes Bell and Antonelli have what it takes to get to Austin.
“I have what I is one of the two of the strongest doubles teams in the state in Chris Bell and Sergio Antonelli,” Walker said. “Any time that you play in the state tournament regardless of what division you’re playing in, that’s tremendous experience. He [Bell] has been to state in team tennis three times and has won three championships. He’s also been to individual state once.”
Bell agrees. “I think that it will help a lot,” he said. “Just being in the state tournament is a great experience because it shows you how much pressure there is, allows you to get used to it and play through it. Mixed doubles is a little different than guys’ doubles. I think being in that pressure environment will help a lot.”
Bell is also feeling very comfortable with Antonelli. “We actually played last year in the fall and didn’t lose a match,” Bell said. “We played this year and have only lost one match together. I don’t think we need to change anything. We just need to keep playing like we are right now. I think we’re playing pretty well. As long as we keep doing what we should be doing in practice, I think we should be able to win state this year.”

Plano : Wildcats Regroup after Loss
Plano has a mixed doubles team in Casey Clark and Jessica Wildberger who could make some noise in May.
“Jessica and Casey will be an excellent mixed doubles team this spring,” Plano head coach Cliff Lazarine said. “They have both worked hard on their games the past year and I feel that this hard work and added experience will result in some big wins this spring.”
Clark, who is the top singles player on the boys’ side and Wildberger, the No. 2 girls singles player and a four-year varsity player, are not exactly strangers. “Last spring was the first time that they had played mixed doubles together and they came within two points of beating the eventual 5A state champions at the Region II Tournament,” Lazarine said.
Lazarine clearly sees even better results for them this spring. “Jessica is fearless at the net and always aggressive,” he said. “Casey has the ability to mix in both power and touch shots to keep opponents off balance. I feel that if they continue to work hard and stay focused during their matches that they have the ability to earn a spot in this year’s state tournament.”

Frisco Liberty: Year One Breakthrough
The first year of tennis at Frisco Liberty has already produced a number of memorable moments. Freshman Long beat reigning Class 3A singles state champion Brooke Dennis of Abilene Wylie in a third-set tiebreaker at team regionals. But that’s not all. Liberty’s No. 2 singles player, sophomore Anna Stone, handed Frisco Wakeland’s defending district champion Merida Thurmon a defeat earlier in the year.
In mixed doubles, junior Bobby Kyle Holden, who played in regionals last spring, returns. He does so with a new partner in freshman Hope Marasigan but Liberty head coach Erica Dopson expects them do well.
Dopson loves how things are coming together. “We built the program last year with only ninth and 10th graders and competed in the 3A tournament,” she said. “We had one team go to regionals. We have no seniors and three juniors. The juniors are starting to teach the freshmen the ropes and lead like seniors.”
The Redhawks also served notice of their potential when during the 3A Regionals, they fell 10-9 to Wakeland in a hard-fought match to decide the third and final representative at the state tournament. “The top three from our region got to go to state and we just missed it, by a super tiebreaker,” Dopson said. “We did so much better against Wakeland this time than last time. They came out and fought so hard that it was heartbreaking to lose because they played so well.”
   
McKinney North: Flores Back for More
The first two years of Florez’s high school tennis career have been impressive. As a freshman, he made state in doubles and last season, Florez won the District 9-4A singles title as a sophomore, was named the district’s MVP and also finished third in regionals. This year, he is back for more.
North head coach Jon Stein knows what a unique talent he has in Florez. “It’s an honor to have a kid like that in your program,” Stein said. “Brandon sets a great example for our other players and his work ethic is impeccable as far as the amount of time, effort and life choices he puts into tennis. He’s got a great work ethic and enjoys the sport. That makes coaching him a lot of fun and a great example for the other kids.”
In the 2007 4A regional tournament, Florez made the finals but ended up finishing third thanks to the bounce back. Stein has already seen his star player use that disappointment for motivation this season.
“That lit his fire,” he said. “He realized that he can’t take it for granted and that he wouldn’t always make it to that level. He’s extrinsically motivated but I think that he also pushes himself. He’s striving for a perfection that only the greatest tennis players would really understand or would see in him. He’s confident but at the same time, he sees ways that he can improve and is always trying to improve those parts of his game.”