RHS tennis players Autumn Montelongo, Payton Miller, Reyna Gonzalez and Devon Whitsel play in the Class 3A Region III Tournament at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station on Wednesday and Thursday.
This is the second straight tournament for Miller, Gonzalez and Whitsel and the first for Montelongo.
“We’re ready,” said Kristy Kaufmann, RHS tennis coach. “We just hope the weather cooperates.”
Gonzales and Whitsel, last year’s mixed doubles state champion team, are 19-1 on the season. They haven’t lost a match since Feb. 8 and are the top-seeded team in the tournament.
“We’re excited,” said Whitsel. “Maybe we haven’t prepared as best as we’d like, but we’re going in with the same mentality we’ve been playing with all season. We know we’re going to win if we go out there and play the best we can play.”
Conversely, the regional tournament will be the doubles team of Miller and Montelongo third tournament together this season.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” Miller said. “Especially since my other partner Eve (King) got hurt so playing with a new partner is exciting as well.”
Miller and King qualified for the 2018 regional tournament and played together earlier this season but King injured her wrist over spring break, leaving her sidelined for the rest of the season.
Since then, Miller and Montelongo played a series of two-to-three hour matches in the district tournament before winning first place. This included a three hours semi-final match with Cameron that went 7-6 (6-4), 5-7, 7-6 (8-6).
“Basically, they couldn’t play for a long time and we could,” Miller laughed.
Both teams start on Wednesday – Miller/Montelong at 11 a.m. and Gonzalez/Whitsel at noon.
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