Lady Mustangs advance today to final in girls doubles
MARBLE FALLS — Going into the District 25-4A Tennis Tournament, Marble Falls High School head coach Tim Bourke was confident the No.2-seeded girls doubles team of junior Kyleigh Ann Futrell and senior Devon Dockery had a shot at the regional tournament.
On Tuesday, the duo proved him right.
IN PHOTO: Marble Falls junior Connor Docherty shows his power on the tennis court. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
After enjoying a bye, Futrell and Dockery used their quarterfinal and semifinal matches to advance to today’s final.
The match will be played 4 p.m. at the Marble Falls High School tennis courts, 2101 Mustang Drive.
In the final, they will first meet a team from Lampasas and not powerhouse Lake Travis.
“(Lampasas) is playing well,” he said. “Our destiny is in our hands.”
If the Lady Mustangs lose in the final, they will have to play Lake Travis’ No. 1 team in a playback.
A playback is used if a player has not beaten the player who finished third. Because Lampasas already beat the Lake Travis No. 1 team, the Lady Badgers would not have to compete in a playback, even if they lose to Marble Falls.
But since Dockery and Futrell beat Pflugerville Hendrickson and Lampasas, a loss would force them to face Lake Travis No. 1, assuming Lake Travis No. 1 beats Lake Travis No. 2 for third place.
“We need to beat Lampasas,” Bourke said. “We’ve already beaten them in the fall during team tennis. We will have to play well. Lampasas has done well in spring tennis. They’re prepared and tough.”
The mixed doubles team of juniors Connor Docherty and Afton Heinatz, seeded No. 2, lost a close semifinal to Lake Travis’ No. 2 mixed-doubles team.
“There are possible playbacks, but that’s unlikely in mixed,” Bourke said, adding the reason is because Lake Travis’ No. 1 team is very talented.
The difference in the match was Lake Travis’ Smrithi Haharian, he said.
“We couldn’t break her serve,” the coach said. “Normally that’s where you get them. I don’t think we broke her serve the whole match.”
Heinatz was unable to hold her serve, Bourke said, which put more pressure on Docherty to hold his serve.
Still, the Mustangs didn’t go down without a fight.
Facing a 2-5 deficit, Marble Falls rallied to tie the set at 5-5.
“(Lake Travis) played better when it was tight,” Bourke said.
Marble Falls senior Laura Vasquez lost in the semifinals to Lake Travis’ Courtney Schulte.
Docherty, Heinatz and Vasquez will play for third.
Vasquez has a chance at a playback but must win her match.
