Cami Uranga (pictured above) after competing in the Regional Tennis Tournament.
Photo provided by CCAISD
By: Adrian J. Norman
Cami Uranga and Noah Garcia competed in the Regional Tennis Tournament on Monday and Tuesday in Odessa. Uranga advanced to the State Tournament on May 16&17, which will be held on the campus of Texas A&M University.
Uranga took the court first to square off with Breanna Ratheal from Stamford, and took an early lead. Play was suspended for six hours due to rain and hail, but Uranga picked up a victory with scores of 6-4, 6-2.
Boys Singles District Champion Noah Garcia took the court next to challenge Matthew Flores from Olton, but fell in two straight sets. Garcia hit some amazing shots and played well, but it wasn’t enough and his season came to an end.
Up next for Uranga was a tough contest with skilled competitor from Gruver. The match went back and forth, and in the end Uranga advanced to finals with scores of 7-6 & 7-5.
On Tuesday, rain delayed play for two hours and the contest was moved to Permian High School. Uranga suffered her first loss of the season against Branda Gail Arispe of Eldorado, who was the #1 seed in Girls Singles and last season’s Regional Champion.
Uranga quickly regained her composure and put the loss behind her to pick up a 6-4, 6-0 victory against Rachel Mendoza of Ozona. The win earned her the right for a playback, and the opportunity to advance to State.
Next was Cami’s toughest match of the season, as she split sets 6-2, 4-6, & 6-4 with Elise Lusk, the number two seed from Canadian. Uranga said, “With faith in God, friends, and family supporting me; I knew I would reach my goal. I’m excited to represent Van Horn at State, I dreamed of this day since my Freshman year.”
