Dawg Tennis loses close match to Harker Heights 8-11

By TJ MAXWELL

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove tennis team was just a few points from keeping their unbeaten streak alive when they lost to the Harker Heights Knights in a close 8-11 match Tuesday at the Dawg Tennis Center.

“We came out very flat tonight and had several tough matches in doubles,” said Cove head tennis coach Paul Talbett.  “Even though we ended up 4-3 after doubles, we had a hard time getting energy going in singles and only managed to take four matches in singles.”

Cove’s Jalen Nix just needed a few points in his match against the Knights’ Mike Victorian in boys’ singles while Alex Peralta suffered a similar fate in her singles matches against Heights’ Carolyn Fernandez and the girls’ doubles team of Telsa Mackwelung and Peralta lost a tiebreaker to Fernandez and Emily Haider.

Nix jumped out to an early lead winning the first set 6-3 before Victorian evened the match with a 6-1 set-two victory. Victorian then edged Nix 11-9 in the tiebreak to earn the win.

Peralta also earned an early lead in her singles match with a 6-2 first set before also falling 6-1 in set two for another forced tiebreaker. The two girls combined for 30 points in the marathon tiebreak but Fernandez was able sneak past 16-14.

In the doubles tiebreaker, Mackwelung and Peralta fell behind early with a 3-6 loss before reversing the score in the second set to force a break. The Lady Knights’ duo then edged out Cove 10-7 in the determining set.

Cove head tennis coach Paul Talbett got what he needed from the boys’ side, winning seven of nine matches on the day but a sweep on the girls’ side proved costly.

“We swept the boys doubles and pulled the mixed doubles, but we were swept in the three girls doubles matches,” said Talbett. “As a matter of fact, we were swept on the girls side 0-9.  Our boys tried to carry the match for the win, but we suffered a tough three set loss at no. 2 boys singles, and we lost 6-4, 7-5 at no. 1 boys singles.”

Dawg Tennis will get its next big test beginning today in Waco for the Midway Team Tennis Tournament. 

Cove will face Alvarado at 8:30 this morning (Friday) and Elkhart at 1 p.m. at the Waco Regional Tennis Center. On Saturday, the Dawgs will face Midway at Midway in the early game and Robinson at Robinson in the 1 p.m. game.