Varsity tennis team surges through undefeated season looking for redemption for past disappointments.
The names roll off the tongue like a Who’s Who of United States Tennis Association rankings. Senior Stefanie Peana is 13th in the state. Senior Leonora Slatnick comes in at 15. Senior Sophie Lantta checks in at 26. And that’s just the girls’ lineup. The boys are far younger, but equally, if not more, talented. Number one boys singles, sophomore Alex Durham used to be the number one rated player in the North Carolina region of the country before he came to Texas. Fellow sophomore and Alex’s doubles partner, Russell Bader, used to be the number two player in the country and has a plethora of trophies to back it up. Senior Jeffrey Springer, formerly half of the number one doubles team in the state in USTA play back when he was in middle school, calls freshman mega-star Robin Chou one of the top three players in the 16 and under age division—he’s only 15.
Unfortunately, as the Chaps have found out all too often in the world of high school tennis, individual rankings count for less than naught, and now the thunder can be heard beckoning from the distance as the tempest approaches rapidly. Cast by four straight State losses, the shadow still lingers like a nagging cold that you can’t quite seem to rid yourself of. Even the mention of the event incites a flicker across the eyes of the team, as the mood noticeably dampens, even if just a little bit, as each person momentarily flashes back to his or her separate negative experience in State. Four losses in a row will do that to a team, even one as talented, honed and battle-hardened as Westlake.
But this year is different than most. The same over-confident attitude displayed by the team last year was not apparent in the beginning of the year with the loss of five senior boys, including state doubles champions Calon Alpar (now playing for Illinois) and Drew Petersen (now playing for SMU). They acted as though they were already defeated before the fight had even begun. As the season progressed, though, it all started coming together.
“There were some low expectations at the beginning of the year, but after a few wins we knew we could go all the way,” Jeffrey said. “Plus, Robin Chou coming in during the middle of the season really gave us the boost that we needed to get over the top.”
A huge part of any team, of course, is unity and leadership, which can often be hard to scavenge after so many seniors departed from last year’s State runner-up team.
“We had a little bit of a shaky start, but now we’re unified with a common goal,” Leonora said. “We have come together a lot this year as a team.”
The Chaps recently stormed through District play dropping only one individual match throughout the entire three-round tournament. Then Oct 19-20 they grinded through a tough match against Churchill and a grueling 10-6 victory against Reagan in the finals (among others) to capture Regionals, ascending to a perfect 23-0 record.
“Oh man, an undefeated season would complete my childhood,” raves senior Shane Berber, one of the few on the team who has had to endure the dearth of a title for three straight years.
Now a new feeling has begun to pervade the courts across from the Ninth Grade Center, a confident swagger replacing the somber attitude that began the season, that the sun will come out and the clouds will be dispersed. A feeling of controlled relief that the shadow will be lifted, that this year it’s payback, that this year is theirs. Who can put it better than Jeffrey’s new doubles partner, senior Dylan Peele? “No fate but State, baby!”