GAMES
RANKINGS
Whataburger Team of the Week: Memorial Tennis Captures Third State Championship
The Mustangs finish the fall 18-1. The lone blemish? A season-opening loss to Westwood — a team Memorial would not see again until the state semifinals. Eighteen straight wins later, head coach Brian Mandell and assistant J.P. Bonilla had their revenge and a spot in the final.
Doubles set the tone
Memorial came out of the doubles round with a 4-3 lead, and it was the girls who did the heavy lifting. Lucy Chung and Katherine Varady opened with a 6-3, 6-4 win at the top line. Zoe Smith and Addison Womac rolled 6-1, 6-0, and Grace Martin and Celeste Hoang were nearly as dominant at 6-0, 6-1. On the boys' side, Yosef Elyashkevich and Nicholas Du handled Carroll's Rushil Rajpal and Francesco Poggi 6-4, 6-2.
Girls singles slam the door, boys singles finish it
The Memorial girls were close to untouchable in singles. Chung won 6-3, 6-3. Martin won 6-3, 6-2. Smith won 6-0, 6-3. Womac closed hers out 6-4, 6-2. Four more points, and the Mustangs were on the doorstep.
The clinching points came the hard way. Joowon Kim dropped his first set 4-6, then stormed back 6-2 and took the match tiebreaker 10-3. Aiden Yan did the same — down 3-6, back 6-3, and a 10-6 tiebreaker that gave Memorial its 10th point and the championship.
The road to San Antonio
The Mustangs did not drop a single match in the first three rounds of the playoffs, blanking Pasadena Dobie 19-0, Barbers Hill 11-0 and Pearland Dawson 10-0. They outlasted Austin Vandegrift 10-7 in the regional semifinal, then beat Fort Bend Clements 10-5 for the regional title and a return trip to state.
In San Antonio, the bracket was loaded. Westwood came in 19-0. The Woodlands, the defending 6A champion, was 16-0 before Southlake Carroll took the Highlanders down 10-8 in the other semifinal. Carroll arrived in the final at 20-1. Memorial beat two of them in two days.
Three state titles in a decade. Eighteen wins in a row. A roster that swept the girls' side of the final and came from behind twice on the boys' side to close it out. In Spring Branch, the Mustangs have built a tennis dynasty — and this group just added the biggest trophy yet.
Program notes: Memorial's three team tennis state championships (2017, 2019, 2026) all came under the UIL's top classification. The 2026 title is the first under coach Brian Mandell.
Whataburger Team of the Week: Seven Lakes VB Claims First District Title Since 2020
Beyond the district crown, 2020 was also the year Seven Lakes put it all together to capture the Class 6A state championship — an intriguing parallel that adds another layer of significance to what head coach Amy Cataline’s squad is accomplishing now.
As far as talent goes, this group is as skilled as they come.
Senior Gracie Hobin continues to be brilliant from the pin, evidenced by her team-leading 439 kills and more than 250 digs.
The middle-blocking tandem of Willtrace “Wiggles” Ngoh and Nlonna Okwura might just be among the most gifted in Texas. Together, the duo has combined for nearly 500 kills and more than 200 blocks, while junior setter Ani Reyes has elevated her game considerably, dishing out 754 assists. Senior defensive specialist Emma Sabelli has been equally impressive, collecting nearly 350 digs of her own this fall.
With the playoffs beginning next week, it’s safe to say Seven Lakes has timed its hot streak to perfection.
