NORTH RICHLAND SPRINGS – Three members of the Zephyr High School tennis team have qualified for the UIL Class A Tennis State Tournament based on Friday and Saturday efforts at the Region III-A gathering.
In the girls singles draw, junior Haley Eason repeated as the regional champion and is headed to the Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio May 16-17.
Meanwhile, junior Ethan Byers and freshman CJ Byers teamed up for a second-place finish in boys doubles to punch their state ticket as well.
Eason – the No. 1 seed in the girls singles draw – won the championship match Saturday after claiming her opener Friday by a 6-0, 6-0 count, her second match 6-1, 6-1 over Elizabeth Davalos of Huckabay, and her semifinal match, 6-0, 6-2 over Lysia Essory of Ector.
The Byers boys came in as the No. 4 seed and opened with 6-1, 6-1 win over a Woodson duo, followed by a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Muniz and Chavez of Walnut Springs. Byers and Byers then lost to eventual regional champions Bernard and Vaught of Dodd City, 6-2, 7-5, but bounced back in the third-place match 6-1, 6-0 over Garcia and Ramirez of Morgan, 6-1, 6-0.
With Bernard and Vaught winning the regional title, the Byers boys had the chance to play Prado and Torres from Lometa in the playback since they hadn’t faced them yet, and came away with a state tournament-clinching 7-6, 6-1 win.