It's Tennis Time in Tennessee!

Hey Folks, it is that time again.  If you follow this blog, you are probably pretty upset, because I never updated the blog at the end of last season.  Once April hits, my life becomes pretty busy and updating a blog is last on the priority list.  Apologies.  I will try to sum up all the good that happened at the end of last year now.  Also, if you have a minute take a look around as I've updated some of the side bar stuff. I'll be getting a new team pic for the top of the blog as soon as we get our uniforms for the new season.

I told you that the Girls won their first District Champions since 2001.  Well the Boys also won the 6-A/AA Championship, for the first time since 1996.  Both teams had not won simultaneous titles since 1990.  Let's think about that for a minute.  None of these players were born the last time that happened!  Both teams represented our district well in the Team Region, but we ended up falling short. The Girls lost to Boyd Buchanan and the Boys lost to Collegedale-- both private schools.

Individually, Hixson absolutely dominated the District Tournament.  I was a tiebreaker away from having a Hixson player or doubles team represented in all four District finals.  Whitney Clack and Michelle Phillips successfully defended their Girls Doubles Title.  Alex Condra, a freshman last year, made it to the finals in the Boys Singles.  Kevin Nguyen (Junior) and Richard Vuong (Freshman) made it to the finals of the Boys Singles.  Clack and Phillips went on to win the Region 3-A/AA Doubles title.  That win qualified them to go to Murfreesboro to represent our region at the State Tournament-- a first for me since taking the job in 2009.  They were playing against a stacked deck as they were beaten by the eventual State Champion team from Unicoi County.  Still, making it to the State Tournament was a goal the girls had made in 2012, when they lost in the first round of the region.  I could not have been more proud!

Another first for me, was having some of my players get selected to the Times-Free Press Best of Preps.  Whitney, Michelle and Alex were all recipients.

Looking ahead to our season in 2014, I would have to say that both the Boys and Girls are the favorites to win District 6-A/AA-- and that is certainly the priority but not a given. IF (notice the big "if" there) we can accomplish another district championship, then we will do our best to bring home the elusive Region 3-A/AA Team title, which has never been done at Hixson.  

See you on the courts!