The tennis team will compete in the regional semi-finals game Thursday, Oct. 25 in Abilene against Burkburnett at 9 a.m.

If the tennis team wins Thursday, they will play in the regional championship game Friday at 9 a.m. in order to qualify for state. The team won the regional quarterfinals game against Pampa 10-3 on Monday, Oct. 22. Team tennis went undefeated in district and then earned the area championship title in a 10-0 win against Seminole.

“In the win against Pampa, it was definitely tougher,” junior Tate Bartley said. “For the boys especially, it was harder than we expected. We went in thinking we could sweep, and it was more of a challenge.”

In the regional quarterfinal game, the team was up 5-2 after doubles.

“It was our first time seeing Pampa,” sophomore Bryce Ware said. “We got off to a good start after doubles, which helped us later. When we were up after doubles, it made single roll through a lot easier.”

Sophomore Lane Miller and Ware won 3-1 in doubles, and Thomas later pulled out a tied match in singles.

“We’ve been working on staying tough mentally,” Ware said. “We really have been working on pulling out wins in the tight matches. It’s important going into playoffs because we might need an ‘all mind’ match.”

Partners junior Ethan Taylor and Bartley won their doubles match, contributing to the team’s advance in playoffs.

“For Thursday, we really need to stay consistent,” Ware said. “We need to make sure we aren’t double faulting. We need to minimize enforced errors.”

Team members said they still have a goal of winning state.

“We really focus on our opponents’ weaknesses,” Bartley said. “We have to think about having our eye on the ball and having our eyes on the goal.”