PLANO:  The Varsity Tennis team welcomed the rest of TAPPS Division 1 - District 2 to the East Sports Complex on Thursday and Friday last week for the district championships.  With a trip to Waco for the state tournament on the line, each time brought their best and gave their all.  For John Paul II, it was a chance to see how they stack up against the rest of the district, as well as show off the progress they've made all season.  

The Varsity Boys captured their second straight district title, and third in four years, behind strong singles play from their #1 and #2 players, along with a gutsy performance from their #1 doubles team.  Senior Jake Vo and junior Jonas Aronsson both advanced to the Boys #1 finals match, having collectively dispatched their rivals from Bishop Lynch, Parish Episcopal, Prestonwood, and TCA Addison.  Vo handled his first two opponents with ease, winning both matches 6-0, 6-0 to set up a JPII/JPII showdown with his teammate Aronsson.  Aronsson graciously conceded the final match to Vo, and both were awarded medals for finishing first and second.  To get to the finals, Aronsson won his opening match 6-0, 6-0 before needing a third set tiebreak to win against Parish, 6-4, 2-6, 10-5.  

The Cardinals #1 doubles pair of Aaron Keith and Ryan Ward, both seniors, faced some of the hardest hitting competition of the entire weekend, losing just one set in their opening match before falling to the eventual district champion duo from TCA in the Semi-Finals.  Keith and Ward would go on to win the bronze & secure the team victory for JPII with a 6-0, 6-0 thumping in the third place match.  Jackson Betz and Alex Rossigno, the Cards #2 doubles team, handled business in their opening match, defeating Bishop Lynch 6-0, 6-0.  Betz and Rossigno were eventually knocked out by the fourth place finalists from Parish Episcopal in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-2.

The Varsity Girls had the tough task of replacing now-graduated seniors Olivia Slate and Caroline Marley-Nicholas from last year's team.  Not ones to back down in the face of a challenge, the senior-less squad took on the best talent in district.  Led by their #1 and #2 singles players, the Lady Cardinals placed second as a team, trailing only Ursuline in the final point standings.  Sophomore Nataly Montemayor was unflappable, finishing 2nd overall in singles play, falling only to Stephanie Untermeyer of Ursuline (6-0, 6-0), a senior committed to Stevens Institute of Technology.  To reach the finals, Montemayor defeated her Prestonwood opponent 6-0, 6-2, and fended off the Ursuline #2 single 6-1, 6-3.  Fellow sophomore Valeria Gonzalez took care of business in the opening round with a 6-0, 6-1 win but lost in the Semi-Finals.  Gonzalez punched her ticket to Waco by winning the bronze medal match 6-0, 6-2 and was awarded the district sportsmanship award following the end of the tournament.  

The Girls #1 doubles team of Lindsay Keith and Sofia Moldovan put on the best show of the weekend with a couple of marathon matches that included some wild volleys with opponents from Parish, Prestonwood, and TCA.  After losing their opening match, Keith and Moldovan went on a run, winning their next two matches 6-3, 0-6, 10-5 and 6-0, 6-2 to secure 5th place.  Keegan Conaway and Riley Nelson, playing as the Girls #2 doubles pairing, won their first match against Bishop Lynch 6-1, 6-1, before falling to the eventual bronze medalists from TCA in the quarterfinals.  

Advancing to the TAPPS State Championships on Monday, April 4th and Tuesday, April 5th are Jake Vo, Jonas Aronsson, Nataly Montemayor, Valeria Gonzalez, Aaron Keith and Ryan Ward.  These players will go on to face off against the best private school players in the state in the two-day tournament held at the Waco Regional Tennis & Fitness Center.