McALLEN — With team tennis still in the early stages of the season, rust on the rackets is expected.
McAllen Memorial and Harlingen South knocked off some of that rust in a non-district meeting Tuesday.
The meeting between two potential playoff teams ended in Harlingen South defeating McAllen Memorial 10-4.
Hawks coach Ernesto Escamilla praised his team for its focus, effort and positive energy.
“I tell them I never want to challenge your effort as a coach, and they gave it 100%,” he said.
South’s No. 1 doubles team of Ethan Carter and Diego Rubio cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory against the Memorial counterparts. Carter won his singles match as well.
“Today, I felt really good,” Carter said. “My serves were really good today.”
Carter said he needs to work on moving his feet more. The junior shanked a few shots because his feet were not in the best places for him to hit the ball well, he said.
Memorial’s No. 1 girls doubles team of Dania Casas and Mia Rodriguez won their match 6-2, 6-0.
The Hawks went up 6-1 after doubles.
Mustangs senior Diego Salvo, a two-time state individual qualifier, outlasted Hawks sophomore Diego Rubio 6-1, 6-3 in a meeting between the boys No. 1s. Rubio, a regional qualifier as a freshman, looked strong at moments during the match.
Salvo was admittedly exhausted after his first two matches of the season. The senior needed Big Red, the soft drink, during his match against Rubio for the sugar as he struggled at times with the heat.
“He was a great opponent, great strokes, great strength,” Salvo said about Rubio. “It feels pretty good to win because I know that I have not put too much dedication into tennis because I have been studying for my SAT.”
Casas, Memorial’s No. 1 girl, won her singles match 6-0, 6-1. The sophomore’s backhand was working for her Wednesday, she said.
“All of the hard work is paying off,” she said.
This was the first match of the season for the Mustangs, and there were plenty of positives to take away from the match.
“I am actually happy,” Mustangs head coach Rhodora Elizondo said. “We have three freshmen that have not played varsity tennis until today. They held their own and were very brave.”
The Mustangs were without two of their top boys and have a young girls team. The girls did well and were on the verge of adding a couple of more points for the Mustangs, but play stops when a team scores 10 points. The first team to 10 wins the match.
“They got good opponents, that is why we are here, so we can improve on what weaknesses we have,” Elizondo said.
Harlingen South is coming off a trip from San Antonio for tournament play. The Hawks were ready to a face a fellow Class 5A playoff team.
“The goal this year is to win district, bi-district, area and get to regionals,” South’s Tabitha Torres said.
Effort, focus and keeping the ball in play are three things the Hawks are focused on improving Torres said.
South will need those three things when it faces Sharyland High on Saturday at home.
