The Varsity Tennis team clinched the District Championship title for the 16th time in a row on October 4th against Dulles HS. The game ended with a score of 10-9, making Clements’ Varsity Tennis the District Champions. 

“This is the program’s overall 35th District Team Title and 16th in a row,” head tennis coach Bret Bernstein said. “The season has been a tough one, I asked a lot out of the team and kept pushing them to compete and leave it all out on the court.”

Both teams were undefeated in the district with Clements being ranked #10 and Dulles ranked #20 in the state of Texas.

“Dulles was very good this year, so we knew it was going to be tough,” Bernstein said. “But I thought we played a really tough season that kind of prepared us to go in and be match tough in those big situations.”

Bernstein said with a long tradition under former head tennis coach John Furlow, we always strive to win the District Championship title.

“It’s a big responsibility. You want to win your matches and continue the legacy.” sophomore Lauren Montgomery said. “It can be a lot of pressure.”

The tennis team prepared for the district competition by practicing together after school and going to the weight room, as well as practicing independently. 

“I practiced hard during practice in school and out of school,” sophomore Audrey Hyunh said. “My dad would take me out to hit every night. It was putting my all into practice every day. I always made sure to have a break on the day of the competition.”

This year, many memories were made that the team will never forget. Junior Jasmine Escamo said it was the cheering and everybody being supportive of each other that she enjoyed. 

“The C’s-houses, I always like whenever we do them,” Montgomery said. “Those are some of the best moments. When we win and someone yells, ‘Whose house?’  we yell ‘C’s-house!’ That’s like my favorite moment every single time. We just won, the pressure is off, and we’re moving up. It’s an achievement and that’s my favorite moment every time.”

The tennis team isn’t just satisfied with being District Champions.

“The biggest goals are to just go in and just be super competitive in every match we play,” Bernstein said. “I said [to the players] if we are super competitive and focused, it’ll take care of a lot of what we need to focus on the court.”

Coach Bernstein said it was pretty rewarding when a lot of the team’s hard work pays off and believes they have a good opportunity this year.

“It’s a great honor to be a part of it and fight for this team,” Escamo said.