Stewart Johnson
While Dragons Tennis relied on steady senior leadership in some top spots, it was Carroll’s youth movement and the diligent effort of the varsity newcomers that helped set the tone for this fall’s team.
“The freshmen that come in normally follow the lead of the upperclassmen,” Aldridge says. “It’s unconventional, but our freshmen were leading by example. That’s not a knock on our upperclassmen; it’s just unusual.”
Three Carroll freshmen made the varsity lineup this season, which is not a normal trend. But while the younger players made their mark, it was a couple seniors that were looked to for big wins in line one matches. Senior Gino French was the top boys singles player, and his teamwork with junior Drake Ferri created the top boys doubles team. Senior Kelly Kunz held the top girls singles spot and was an anchor for the Lady Dragons.
The work ethic and practice time logged by tennis players of various grades led to a strong showing on the court, helping them through difficult matches in the regular season and playoffs.
SEASON RECAP
It was a season of blazing uncharted territory as Carroll Tennis came the closest that it’s ever been to a state championship in the program’s history.
The Dragons boys and girls players could almost taste the state title, falling just short to eventual Class 6A champion Houston Memorial in the state semifinal on Oct. 31 at Bryan High School. Carroll lost 10-7 and Memorial went on to defeat Plano West in the title match at Texas A&M University later that day.
“If you’re going to lose to someone, you want to lose to the state champs,” says Carroll tennis coach Corey Aldridge, whose team compiled a 17-5 record for the season.
The boys and girls combined to dominate their 5-6A opponents. Carroll cruised to 7-0 in district meetings (19 matches per meet), posting a record of 125-8 in 133 total matches.
Aldridge says scheduling tough competition during non-district play helped the Dragons prepare for the matches that mattered most like Plano West, Coppell and powerhouse Highland Park.
At the regional tournament Oct. 24-25 in Abilene, Carroll cruised past El Paso Coronado 11-2 in the semifinals and Flower Mound Marcus 10-3 in the finals to advance to the state tournament.
‘19, ‘20 Roster
Head Coach: Corey Aldridge
Assistant Coach: Abby White
Boys
Nayan Bandaru, Senior
Drake Ferri, Junior
Gino French, Senior
Aaron Gow, Junior
Avi Kumar, Freshman
David Lau, Junior
Garrett Lowe, Sophomore
Harper Moxcey, Freshman
Nikhil Nandigama, Junior
Jarden Naughton, Junior
Colin Scruggs, Sophomore
Rohum Shroff, Senior
Henry Smith, Senior
Aidan Twamley, Freshman
Daniel Weir, Junior
Jonathan Wrehe, Sophomore
Girls
Brennan Becicka, Sophomore
Emma Edes, Senior
Caroline Hao, Junior
Chaya Hemanth, Senior
Kelly Kunz, Senior
Sydney Minotti, Freshman
Aubrey Pham, Senior
Abby Richmond, Junior
Caroline Schneider, Sophomore
Abby Weaver, Junior
Tori Xiong, Junior