Cotter takes state gold!
By Sam Waller
Sarah Cotter returned to the girls singles final at the Class 2A state tennis tournament this week, dropping just five games in a trio of straight-set victories to claim the gold medal.
Cotter, last year’s state runnerup, was one of three Albany entries at Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio.
Luke Marshall reached the boys singles semifinals before being forced to withdraw because of an injury, and received the bronze medal during ceremonies on Wednesday.
Sidney Russell was eliminated in the first round in girls singles. Both Marshall and Russell are sophomores.
Cotter advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 victory in the quarterfinals over Wellington’s Summer Owens. She then defeated Woden’s Elizabeth Moreau 6-1, 6-1 in the semifinals.
Cotter faced Blake Jenkins of Christoval in the championship match on Wednesday morning, continuing the dominance that she had shown throughout the tournament with a 6-1, 6-1 win. Jenkins lost to Cotter in last year’s semifinals.
“We’re just really proud of Sarah,” coach M.J. Reneau said. “She played three very solid matches.”
Reneau said Cotter did a good job of focusing on the task at hand instead of dwelling on last year’s disappointment.
“She’s already been here once and knew what to expect,” Reneau said.
Jenkins’ road to the final started with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Albany’s Russell. Russell had finished second to Cotter at both the district and regional tournaments.
“Sidney making it to state as a sophomore is a huge accomplishment,” Reneau said. “Having the girl she lost to make it to the final shows how competitive she was. Sidney got a lot of experience just being here.”
In boys singles, Marshall defeated Zach Childs of Port Aransas 6-2, 6-4 in the first round. In the semifinals, Marshall dropped the first set against Ty Williams of Crawford 4-6 but was leading the second 1-0 when he was forced to retire.
Even at that point, the Albany sophomore had already worked his way up to a third place medal.
“Our hearts hurt for Luke,” Reneau said. “He had a great chance of bringing home the gold this year.”
Reneau said Marshall has two more chances to claim the top prize before he graduates.
“He played a great match,” she said. “Had he not been hurt, I think the outcome would have been different.”
Reneau said all three Albany players showed they were able to handle the distraction of Monday’s all-morning rain delay.
“We were the last site to get started, but the kids never skipped a beat,” she said, “They were ready to go whenever it was time.”
Results from San Antonio are as follows:
Girls Singles
Sarah Cotter defeated Summer Owens, Wellington, 6-1,6-0 in the quarterfinals; defeated Elizabeth Moreau, Woden, 6-1,6-1 in the semifinals; defeated Blake Jenkins, Christoval, 6-1,6-1 in the finals for the championship.
Sidney Russell lost to Blake Jenkins, Christoval, 6-2,6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Boys Singles
Luke Marshall defeated Zach Childs, Port Aransas, 6-2,6-4 in the quarterfinals; lost to Ty Williams, Crawford, 6-4,0-1, retired in the semifinals for third place.
