Marshall ends with silver at state tennis tournament
By Sam Waller
The last time an Albany entry finished second at the state tennis tournament, Sarah Cotter used it as a springboard to win gold the following year.
Luke Marshall is in position to repeat that after reaching the Class 2A boys singles final last week in San Antonio.
Marshall’s bid to earn Albany’s second state title fell short in a 7-5, 6-0 loss to Mason Hatfield of Mason on April 26. But as a junior, he has one more chance.
“I just need to step up and keep working,” Marshall said.
For the second year in a row, Marshall was beset by cramps that hampered his game. As a sophomore, he was forced to retire while leading in the semifinals. Marshall said the situation was similar this time.
“I took more precautions and did as much as I could with hydration, rest, and recovery,” he said. “I always have a Theragun, and I went to cryotherapy three times in the two days. It’s just an ongoing struggle.”
Albany coach M.J. Reneau said Marshall had nothing to be ashamed of.
“I’m very proud of our performance at state,” she said. “Unfortunately, Luke started cramping up again, but he was able to finish his match this time. It was a really close first set, and he played a great match.”
In the final, Marshall found himself down 0-3 in the first set before rallying.
“I finally started playing big and hitting solid balls,” he said. “It put me back in contention. I took control of the match up until about 4-all, then I started getting tight and was unable to get to the balls.”
Marshall was one of four Albany entries at state, being joined by Sidney Russell in girls singles, the boys doubles team of Cason Fairchild and London Fuentes, and the girls doubles pair of Ella Webb and Abi Hale, who was a late substitute for Jaci Chapman.
“We got a lot accomplished this year,” Reneau said. “Last year, we had three go to state. This year, we doubled it and took six.”
The best part, Reneau said, is that most of them will be back next year.
“We’ve got a lot of young, talented players,” she said. “I see us continuing to improve and taking more to state next year. We’re losing three seniors – Ella, London, and Chloe Daugherty, who was a regional qualifier – but I’m really excited about who we’ve got coming back next year.”
