By Marin Murray
The tennis team secured their spot in the playoffs on October 28 with a vital 10-9 victory over
Cooper, overcoming a 5-2 deficit after the first round of matches.
“That was a really huge win for us last night to secure our playoff spot,” head coach Stacy Bryan
said. “I am not sure that I have ever been a part of a better team tennis match. They all played
with such incredible heart and I could not be prouder of the whole team’s effort.”
Senior Zoë Barrett finished off the Eagles’ comeback with her decisive victory in the No. 6 girls
singles match, winning 6-2, 6-4, and helping the 17th-ranked Eagles improve to now 18-4 on the
season.
“There were three matches left, and we won every single one,” junior Luke Padon said. “Our
heads were swinging back and forth because all three courts were playing at the same time.
[Zoë’s] match was super critical and really enjoyable to watch.”
Padon had been in Barrett’s shoes just a couple days before, winning the deciding match that led
the Eagles over 14th-ranked Lubbock Cooper in another 10-9 victory.
“I didn’t realize that I was the last match left, nor did I realize that I was the deciding match,”
Padon explained. “So when all of my teammates stormed the court and told me that I was the
deciding match, I was able to gradually realize how important it was.”
Both of these 10-9 wins have required the Eagles to comeback from early deficits, causing the
whole team to rally together until the end.
“I’m glad that we’re always able to go out there as a team and each of us do our job,” Padon
said. “We all help one another and build each other up.”
The Eagles will begin their playoff run in the bi-district round against Amarillo Tascosa Tuesday, October 12.
