Abilene Wylie's Bontke, Crousen earn state tennis berth the hard way at region tournament
LUBBOCK - Carly Bontke and Stealey Crousen got it done the hard way Tuesday at the Region I-5A tennis tournament.
After dropping the girls doubles championship match earlier in the day, the top-seeded Wylie duo came back to beat third-seeded Georgia Posey and Katie Siddons of Aledo 6-2, 6-3 in a playback match to earn a state berth at Texas Tech's McLeod Tennis Center.
"Proud of Carley and Stealey," Wylie coach Mark Hathorn said. "Anytime you can get someone to state, it's a great year."
Bontke and Crousen fell to second-seeded Allex Gonzales and Morgan Rose of Amarillo High 7-5, 6-2 in the championship match.
That dropped the Wylie duo into a playback match, after Posey and Siddons beat fourth-seeded Ella Hester and Elizabeth Hollabaugh of Canyon Randall 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (6) in the third-place match earlier in the day.
Bontke and Crousen had beaten the Randall team 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals Monday.
The state tournament will be April 26-27 in San Antonio.
This is the second straight year for both Bontke and Crousen to qualify for state, though the first time as partners. Bontke qualified for state last year in girls singles, while Crousen teamed with Kindall Alford for a state berth in girls doubles.
Wylie’s Kate Delgado and Trevor Short both lost their playback matches in girls singles and boys doubles, respectively, to leave Bontke and Crousen as Wylie’s lone state qualifiers.
Amarillo High’s Eleanor Archer, the second seed, denied Wylie freshman Delgado a state berth with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over the third seed in a playback match in girls singles.
"Kate, as a freshman, played outstanding," Hathorn said. "She will be force to be reckoned with. Proud coach."
Top-seeded and defending region champion Axelle Jacquemin beat Delgado 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in the semifinals Monday. She beat Archer in another grueling three-set match, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the championship.
Delgado beat fourth-seeded Allison Leath of Denton Ryan 6-1, 7-5 in the third-place match Tuesday before facing off with Archer.
Short had a shot at state berth but the sophomore couldn’t take the court in his playback match with Lubbock High’s Andrew Azatian because of medical reasons. Short had beaten Azatian 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 in the District 4-5A tournament semifinals earlier this month.
"Trevor cramped, full body, after finals," Hathorn said. "I feel bad for him since he had beaten Azatian the last four times they played (each other) but this tournament is a grind. He played great in the finals."
Ethan Ruppanner, the defending region champion and No. 1 seed, beat Short 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 in the championship match earlier in the day.
Joey D. Richards covers Abilene high schools and colleges, Big Country schools and other local sports. Follow him at Twitter at ARN_Joey. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.
Region I-5A tournament
at Texas Tech's McLeod Tennis Center
BOYS
SINGLES
First round
No. 1 Ethan Ruppanner, Tascosa, def. Mike Briede, Justin Northwest, 6-0, 6-3; Wyatt Spencer, Wichita Falls High, def. Andres Espinoza, Fort Worth South Hills, 6-0, 6-1; No. 3 Andrew Azatian, Lubbock High, def. Kaleb Russell, Burleson, 6-1, 6-1; Varun Kamath, El Paso Chapin, def. Javier Hernandez, Clint Horizon, 6-2, 6-3; Girish Sundaresan, Grapevine, def. Chaitanya Reddy, Wichita Falls Rider, 6-2, 6-4; No. 4 Leo Bermudez, El Paso Chapin, def. Steven Diaz, El Paso Parkland, 6-0, 6-0; Pranav Nambiar, Amarillo High, def. Emil Zuniga, Fort Worth Arlington Heights, 6-3, 6-0; No. 2 Trevor Short, Abilene Wylie, def. Mason Martin, Mansfield Legacy, 6-1, 6-0
Quarterfinals
Ruppanner, Tascosa, def. Spencer, Wichita Falls High, 6-0, 6-0; Azatian, Lubbock High, def. Kamath, Chapin, 6-4, 6-1; Bermudez, Chapin, def. Sundaresan, Grapevine, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2; Short, Wylie, def. Nambiar, Amarillo High, 6-1, 6-2
Semifinals
Ruppanner, Tascosa, def. Azatian, Lubbock High, 7-5, 6-2; Short, Wylie, def. Bermudez, Chapin, 6-1, 6-2
Championship
Ruppanner, Tascosa, def. Short, Wylie, 4-6 6-2, 7-5
Third-place match
Azatian, Lubbock High, def. Bermudez, El Paso Chapin, n/a
Playback match
Azatian, Lubbock High, def. Short, Wylie, default (medical reasons)
DOUBLES
First round
No. 1 Wade Bryant/Taylor Vigil, Amarillo High, def. Jacob Cooper/Gaines Harvey, Wichita Falls High, 6-1, 6-2; Tobias Pfeiffer/Aaron Shetty, Colleyville Heritage, def. Jaime Gomez/Jude Valdez, El Paso Del Valle, 6-1, 6-2; No. 3 Jeb Kitten/Alan Mann, Lubbock Coronado, def. Evan Garza/Alonzo Lalani, Heights, 6-1, 6-2; Andrew Cammack/Jackson Cooper, Burleson, def. Josiah Choi/Caleb Chung, Chapin, 6-1, 6-1; Abbas Halai/Owen Mueninghoff, Heritage, def. Miguel Carrera/Noah Garcia, El Paso Hanks, 6-1, 6-0; No. 4 Carson Dyess/Cutter Mason, Canyon Randall, def. Jax Joiner/Hogan Posey, Aledo, 6-3, 6-1; Santiago Garcia/Andres Inostroza, Chapin, def. Gus Harvey/Tanner Needham, Heights, 7-5, 6-2; No. 2 Harrison Bennett/Drayton Stanfield, Lubbock High, def. Aidan Cates/Noah Smith, Burleson Centennial, 6-0, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Bryant/Vigil, Amarillo High, def. Pfeiffer/Shetty, Heritage, 6-3, 6-0; Kitten/Mann, Coronado, def. Cammack/Cooper, Burleson, 6-0, 6-0; Dyess/Mason, Randall, def. Halai/Mueninghoff, Heritage, 6-0, 6-4; Bennett/Stanfield, Lubbock High, def. Garcia/Inostroza, Chapin, 6-0, 6-0
Semifinals
Bryant/Vigil, Amarillo High, def. Kitten/Mann, Coronado, 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-3; Bennett/Stanfield, Lubbock High, def. Dyess/Mason, Randall, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
Championship
Bennett/Stanfield, Lubbock High, def. Bryan/Virgil, Amarillo High, 6-4, 6-1
Third-place match
Dyess/Mason, Randall, def. Kitten/Mason, Coronado, 6-3, 6-4
Playback match
Bryant/Virgil, Amarillo High, def. Dyess/Mason, Randall, 6-3, 6-1
GIRLS
SINGLES
First round
No. 1 Axelle Jacquemin, Rider, def. Mariajose Garcia, El Paso Burges, 6-0, 6-0; Cathy Du, Grapevine, def. Lauren Hull, Heights, 6-4, 6-1; No. 3 Kate Delgado, Wylie, def. Scout Adams, Randall, 6-1, 6-1; Katelyn Moravec, Centennial, def. Fatima Baid, Canutillo, 6-4, 6-3; Lauren Pond, Wichita Falls High, def. Kaitlyn Huzy, Mansfield Timberview, 6-0, 6-4; No. 4 Allison Leath, Denton Ryan, def. Sofia Baez, Saginaw, 6-1, 6-2; Daniela Ocaranza, El Paso High, def. Helena Bridge, Abilene Cooper, 6-0, 6-2; No. 2 Eleanor Archer, Amarillo High, def. Andrea Ramirez, Del Valle, 6-0, 6-0
Quarterfinals
Jacquemin, Rider, def. Du, Grapevine, 6-1, 6-1; Delgado, Wylie, def. Moravec, Centennial, 6-1, 6-0; Leath, Ryan, def. Pond, Wichita Falls High, 7-5, 6-1; Archer, Amarillo High, def. Ocaranza, El Paso High, 6-2, 6-2
Semifinals
Jacquemin, Rider, def. Delgado, Wylie, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5; Archer, Amarillo High, def. Leath, Ryan, 6-3, 7-6 (0)
Championship
Jacuemin, Rider, def. Archer, Amarillo High, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3
Third-place match
Delgado, Wylie, def. Leath, Denton Ryan, 6-1, 7-5
Playback
Archer, Amarillo High, def. Delgado, Wylie, 6-3, 6-2
DOUBLES
First round
No. 1 Carly Bontke/Stealey Crousen, Wylie, def. Kotomi Nishihara/Eleny Sandoval-Almuna, Rider, 6-1, 6-2; Kat Adams/Lauren Santos, Saginaw, def. Abigail Hernandez/Alexis Hovis, El Paso Jefferson, 7-6, 7-6; No. 4 Ella Hester/Elizabeth Hollabaugh, Randall, def. Kylee Bacon/Jordyn Lewis, Burleson, 6-0, 6-1; Eera Mehrota/Aneri Patel, Heritage, def. Sareinah Gutierrez/Natalie Navarette, Del Valle, 6-0, 6-0; Bianca Harris/Mia Rodriguez, Heights, def. Nayelli Martinez/Reyna Mauricio, El Paso Austin, 6-0, 6-0; No. 3 Georgia Posey/Katie Siddons, Aledo, def. Sabrina Chums/Arshvi Patel, Heritage, 6-1, 6-1; Katelyn Conaway/Lilly Vick, Centennial, def. Jazmin Pacheco/Mariah Smith, Horizon, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-1; No. 2 Allex Gonzales/Morgan Rose, Amarillo High, def. Makeda Marquardt/Suhejla Qinami, Wylie, 2-6, 6-0, 6-2
Quarterfinals
Bontke/Crousen, Wylie, def. Adams/Santos, Saginaw, 6-0, 6-0; Hester/Hollabaugh, Randall, def. Mehrota/Patel, Heritage, 6-2, 6-1; Posey/Siddons, Aledo, def. Harris/Rodriguez, Heights, 6-3, 6-3; Gonzales/Rose, Amarillo High, def. Conaway/Vick, Centennial, 6-0, 6-0
Semifinals
Bontke/Crousen, Wylie, def. Hester/Hollabaugh, Randall, 6-2, 6-4; Gonzales/Rose, Amarillo High, def. Posey/Siddons, Aledo, 6-4, 7-5
Championship
Gonzales/Rose, Amarillo High, def. Bontke/Crousen, Wylie, 7-5, 6-2
Third-place match
Posey/Siddons, Aledo, def. Hester/Hollabough, Randall, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (6)
Playback match
Bontke/Crousen, Wylie, def. Posey/Siddons, Aledo, 6-2, 6-3
MIXED DOUBLES
First round
No. 1 Hattie Berend/Steven Lee, Wichita Falls High, def. Sean Anderson/Avani Benegal, Grapevine, 6-2, 6-2; Jantzen Redwine/Tatum Sikes, Legacy, def. Olivia Guzman/Maximus Martin, El Paso High, 6-2, 6-2; No. 3 Aidan Gilbert/Melinda Thomas, Randall, def. Robi Hernandez/Josiah Leggett, El Paso Bel Air, 6-0, 6-2; Isaac Faske/Sydni Smith, Coronado, def. Edna Caballero/Eduardo Tiliano, South Hills, 6-0, 6-0; Rebecca Collins/John Nickel, Heritage, def. Emma Fritz/Katcher Meeks, Burleson, 6-2, 6-3; No. 4 Kelton Brown/Karli Lakey, Amarillo High, def. Kindall Alford/Logan Bible, Wylie, 6-3, 6-4; Max Milton/Julia Weeks, Heights, def. Anali Bailey/Axel Perez, Hanks, 6-3, 6-3; No. 2 Trooper Denson/Jessie Stephan, Wichita Falls High, def. Tosh Agness/Ashlynn Barclay, El Paso High, 6-1, 6-1
Quarterfinals
Berend/Lee, Wichita Falls High, def. Redwin/Sikes, Legacy, 6-0, 6-2; Gilbert/Thomas, Randall, def. Faske/Smith, Coronado, 6-3, 6-4; Brown/Lakey, Amarillo High, def. Collins/Nickel, Heritage, 6-0, 6-2; Denson/Stephan, Wichita Falls High, def. Milton/Weeks, Heights, 6-0, 6-0
Semifinals
Denson/Stephan, Wichita Falls High, def. Brown/Lakey, Amarillo High, 6-2, 6-2
Championship
Berend/Lee, Wichita Falls High, def. Denson/Stephan, Wichita Falls High, 6-1, 6-0
Third-place match
Gilbert/Thomas, Randall, def. Brown/Lakey, Amarillo High, 6-4, 6-3
Playback match
Denson/Stephan, Wichita Falls High, def. Gilbert/Thomas, Randall, 6-2, 7-5
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Wylie's Bontke, Crousen nab state tennis berth
