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Last Friday, May 10, the JV tennis team participated in the 4A/5A District Championship. They all did very well, especially since they had to compete mostly against much larger 5A teams. It was a great opportunity for our JV athletes to see how well they could stack up against other JV opponents in our district. They were pleasantly surprised, to say the least!

Our best placements were Junior Reynel Eligio and Junior Michelle Gutierrez who placed 3^rd in Mixed Doubles, beating 3 different 5A teams to reach the podium. 

Junior Nich Henry & Freshman Daviahn Ervin, after an early setback against South Hills, didn't lose another match and came back to win the consolation bracket for Boys Doubles!

Likewise, Freshman Sebastian Lopez & Sophomore Isabel Alcala had a similar story with an early loss to South Hills but then won all remaining matches to clinch the consolation bracket in Mixed Doubles.

All in all, we have a lot to look forward to in the coming years of WHHS tennis! Congratulate to all the JV tennis players!!

Friday also marked the end of our very long season, and the end of Coach Soto's 15-year run as the beloved coach of WHHS tennis. Everyone involved with the tennis team is so very sad to see him go, but we are all grateful for the love and service he has given to the student-athletes of Western Hills over the years. We wish him all the best in the next chapter of his life! You will be greatly missed, Coach Soto!!

As always, thank you for your continued support,

Three outstanding young ladies, Jacky Mares, Estrella Arredondo, & Itzel Lopez, qualified to compete this week at the 4A Region Tennis Championship in Longview. 

All three played very well, facing some very tough opponents. Itzel was not actually even meant to play, attending as the 9-4A alternate. She had to step in, however, when the 9-4A #2 girls' single came down sick with the flu. Though her match score of 0-6, 0-6 doesn't show it, she handled herself quite well against the powerhouse, perennial state qualifier Anna High School.

Jacky (now a two-time Regional qualifier) and Estrella had a nail-biter first match against Dallas Pinkston, finally pulling away with the win with a match score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, only to face the Wills Point #2 girls' doubles team who were the second seed for the whole bracket and were only out-matched by their own teammates, the #1 girls doubles from Wills Point. We fell to Wills Point in the second round with a match score of 0-6, 0-6, but we're proud to say we held our own with great serves and some fantastic rallies against a team that will be moving on to compete at the state championship!

These girls competed against schools and programs that have many more resources than they have ever had, and they were able to prove they deserved a seat at the table! The next time you see any one of these three young ladies, be sure to congratulate them on all of their hard work and on their accomplishments this season.

On Monday, April 29 & Tuesday, April 30, the varsity tennis players competed in the Spring '24 district tournament against Eastern Hills, Carter Riverside, Diamond Hill-Jarvis, & Benbrook Middle School. Though we had some unexpected shortfalls, your Western Hills tennis team represented you well and brought home a good bit of hardware.

Of special note:
Jesus Alvizo - 4^th Boys Singles
Jessica Hernandez - 4^th Girls Singles
Roberto Torres - 4^th Boys Doubles
Jose Mendietta - 4^th Boys Doubles
Erick Perez - 3^rd Boys Singles
Elaina Montalvo - 3^rd Girls Singles
Jonathan Ramirez - 3^rd Boys Doubles
Kevin Jiminez - 3^rd Boys Doubles

And, finally, our Regional Qualifiers!!!!
Jacqueline Mares - 2^nd Girls Doubles
Estrella Arredondo - 2^nd Girls Doubles

Jacquie and Estrella will be traveling to Longview next week to try to qualify for state. Wish them both luck and congratulate all the tennis players on a great season!

The JV tennis team will play this coming Friday, May 3 at McLeland Tennis Center.

Every year, all Fort Worth ISD tennis teams meet at TCU for the Fort Worth City Championship. It is always a special tournament for the athletes as they get to experience college-level facilities on a beautiful campus, but it is also always a tough tournament as they must face off against much larger 5A - 6A schools. Though we didn't bring home all the hardware we would have liked last Friday, April 19, many of our Cougars made it deep into the bracket before succumbing to some very formidable opponents. 

Of special note is Erick Perez. Though he lost his very first match to 6A Paschal's #1 boys singles player, he bounced back and did not lose a single other match the entire day, winning the consolation bracket for boys singles. Congratulate him if you see him!

The WHHS Cougar Tennis team had a good day at their tournament on Wednesday, April 3, with 3 young men making it to the podium. 

Erick Perez made it all the way to the championship match in boys singles, but fell to Callisburg to bring home the silver medal. 

The podium fight for third place in boys' doubles was all green and gold as our own Roberto Torres & Jose Mendieta had to face off against teammates Kevin Jimenez & Jonathan Ramirez. Roberto & Jose ended up winning 6-3, but either way, Western Hills was going to win!

The rest of the team did quite well, too, with several coming up just short of the podium. Jesus Alvizo barely missed 3^rd place in boys singles, and Issac Street & Vianet Garcia barely missed 3^rd place in mixed doubles.