Lyn leaves as she arrived, as a champ
Tiger senior earns fourth consecutive singles title leading squad to another team crown
Racquel Lyn had never dropped a match – or a set, for that matter – during her incomparable high school tennis career and the St. Agnes senior wasn’t about to let it happen last week.
Lyn turned in another flawless performance at the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools State Tennis Tournament at the Waco Regional Tennis Center, powering St. Agnes to its fourth straight TAPPS Class 5A state girls’ crown.
St. Agnes’ star player added her name to the record books, beating teammate Christina Watson 6-2, 6-0 in the finals to become a four-time TAPPS state champion in girls singles.
“It’s almost unbelievable to think I didn’t lose a match over four years,” said Lyn, who will compete at Dartmouth College next season. “I’m proud of everything I achieved. Winning is always the goal, but it’s more fun when you do it as part of a team.”
And what a team it was. The six St. Agnes girls who competed at state were all super championship players, putting them in elite company.
“I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t know if we’ll have a team with so much talent ever again,” said St. Agnes head tennis coach Tom Caine, who coached the squad along with top assistant, Kris Caine. “They put in the work before they got to St. Agnes and it’s been a blessing to be a part of this and help these girls reach their potential.”
Lyn, though, has been the face of the program, who ruled the court with quiet dominance. In her four matches at this year’s state tourney, she surrendered only five games.
Watson, a rising sophomore, went up a break on Lyn, but her 2-1 lead was short-lived. Lyn reeled off the last 11 games.
“Christina played really well,” Caine said. “Christina would hit three or four winners in a row, but Racquel always got the ball back. The score doesn’t lie.”
Watson, though, has a bright future ahead of her. A two-time state finalist, she’ll be among the favorites next year.
The Tigers were hoping for an all-St. Agnes girls doubles final and they nearly got their wish.
The duo of sophomore Jennifer Mathieu and freshman Kendall Couch were knocked out in the semifinals by Gayathri Evani and Stephanie Baerman of San Antonio Antonian 3-6, 7-6, 6-3.
“It was a three-hour match and Jennifer and Kendall had two match points in the second set,” Caine said. “They almost made it.”
It was the second consecutive marathon for Mathieu and Couch, who outlasted Anne Sullivan and Amy Gill of Plano John Paul II 6-4, 1-6, 11-9 in the quarterfinals.
St. Agnes’ other pair of senior Taylor Ysaguirre and sophomore Natalia Nassar took advantage of the loss, beating Evani and Baerman 6-2, 6-3 in the finals to repeat as state champs.
“Taylor and Natalia lost to Jennifer and Kendall at district, so they turned the table and won state again,” Caine said. “I’m really proud of them – actually all the girls.”
With captains Lyn and Ysaguirre graduating, there are a few holes that must be filled, but Caine is confident that St. Agnes will be in contention for a fifth state title in a row.
“The girls were in Racquel’s shadow the last couple of years, but it’s their team next year,” Caine said. “If all of them come back and we find another player or two, we should be very strong.” Water polo moves on
St. Agnes is headed back to the Texas Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Water Polo High School State Championships for the second time in three years.
The Tigers, who were fourth at state in girls water polo in 2014, clinched another state berth by placing fourth at the Region III East State Qualifier at Cy-Fair’s FLEET Center.
As a district champ, St. Agnes received a bye and opened with a 14-0 victory over Cy Woods before falling to Cy Creek 17-1. The Tigers, though, bounced back to beat Cy-Fair 7-3 to face The Woodlands in the third-place match. While St. Agnes lost 11-6, it was enough to advance to state.
“When we began the season, our goal was to qualify for state and we’ve done that,” said St. Agnes head water polo coach Kaitlin Kelley. “When we go back to practice, we’ll set a new goal.”
For St. Agnes, that involves competing for – and possibly winning – a state crown.
“We’re in a good head space right now,” Kelley said. “If we’re playing well, we can hang with any team in the field.”
Kelley considers Region III East winner Cy Creek and defending state champ Southlake Carroll as the favorites, but the Tigers (1713) might be a spoiler.
St. Agnes had three allregion selections – senior captain Chandler Couch and juniors Rhianna Roth and Betsy Felix. Couch is the starting goalie, while Roth and Felix play 2-meter set and 2-meter defender, respectively.
Other standouts for the Tigers include junior utility players Anna Lang, Taylor Mitchell and Delaney Wolfe.
The two-day state tourney will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 29-30, at Texas A&M University in College Station.