Stewart Johnson
After losing 14 seniors from last year’s state-bound tennis team, coach Corey Aldridge compiled a roster where 16 of its 28 players were new to varsity competition. With a combination of hard work and steady improvement, this young team overachieved and came within one match of returning to the 6A state tournament last fall.
“If you would have told me before the summer that we would have made it all the way to the regional final, I would have been super surprised,” says Aldridge, whose team went 17-5 after competing in high-quality duels and tournaments this season, ultimately reaching the Region I finals in postseason play before losing to Plano West. “It kind of exceeded my expectations more so than it ever has, given the lack of experience we had coming in.”
That inexperience showed itself at times early on as the Dragons struggled in their doubles games. During one contest they hosted at the Carroll courts, Aldridge remembers seeing all eight courts filled with doubles matches, and only two of his 16 players had any match-play experience.
A lack of experience meant the Dragons had to put in extra practice to play catch-up and get up to speed in doubles competition, and Aldridge challenged the team to do so.
“I told them we've got to really focus on our doubles play, and our kids did,” Aldridge says. “Our kids really stepped up and played a lot. I think it's just a drive to improve… it’s just instilled in them. Every year, it blows me away.”
Carroll started the season 3-3 in team competition, but an early-season win against Highland Park (ranked No. 11 in the state by the Texas Tennis Coaches Association) gave Aldridge hope. The Dragons fought the Scots down to the wire before winning 10-9.
Facing quality opponents all season, the Dragons’ only regular season losses came at the hands of Plano West (No. 3 in the TTCA 6A poll), twice to Frisco Centennial (Class 5A state champions) and to Amarillo (No. 3 in Class 5A and the 2022 state champs). Other than Highland Park, Carroll registered wins over impressive programs like Coppell (No. 10 in 6A) and Argyle (No. 11 in 5A), and led Allen (No. 5 in 6A) by an 8-3 edge in a duel meet before a storm caused the game to be called.
Carroll cruised through district play, winning all six 4-6A matches and only losing six of 114 total doubles and individual games played. Entering the postseason on a roll, the Dragons defeated Weatherford 10-0 in bi-district, El Paso Coronado 10-5 in the area round, San Angelo Central 10-0 in the regional quarterfinals and Coppell 11-8 in the regional semifinals. That set up another meeting with Plano West, a perennial power that has defeated Carroll in playoff matches several times in the last few years. The Dragons fell by a 10-5 final to just miss returning to the team tennis state tournament for the third time in program history and the second year in a row.
“We were in the match. I mean, we had opportunities,” Aldridge says. “We win a match here or there (against Plano West) and we're back where we were last year.
“I think this is definitely a year that we can look back on and I can point to and say, ‘Hey guys, remember that in 2023 we were able to do this.’”
As reported on Feb. 15, 2024.