A&M Consolidated's second straight trip to the UIL Class 5A team tennis state tournament opens Wednesday against Abilene Wylie, a team that has lost once all season.
The Tigers (19-4) earned the berth Friday morning on their home courts, beating College Station High 10-5 in the Region III final. Because both College Station ISD programs reached that match, the district was assured of a state qualifier before it began.
The semifinal starts at 8:25 a.m. at Annemarie Tennis Center in San Antonio, according to the UIL schedule, and the 5A championship is set for 8:25 a.m. Thursday at the same site.
Settling the district score
College Station had the upper hand during the season. The Cougars won the regular-season meeting 11-8 and took the District 17-5A title, with Consol finishing second. CSISD noted that the finish placed the two schools in opposite halves of the regional bracket, so they could meet only in the final.
KBTX reported that wind blew through most of Friday's match. Consol coach Daniel Marshall told the station his players' energy had carried them through two days of regional play. "They brought a lot of fire, energy and team spirit today," he said.
College Station's season ended after playoff wins over New Caney Porter (18-0), Angleton (10-1), Humble Kingwood Park (10-4) and Austin Anderson (10-8), according to the district.
Consol's road
The Tigers opened the playoffs by shutting out Houston Spring Woods 12-0, then beat Friendswood 10-4 and Baytown Sterling 11-0. In Thursday's regional semifinal they took down Georgetown 10-5. CSISD described Georgetown as the top-ranked team and said three of Consol's first four playoff opponents had won district titles. Including Friday, Consol has won its five playoff matches by a combined 53-14.
Consol's other regular-season losses included an 11-8 decision against The Woodlands College Park and an 18-1 defeat against Class 6A Plano West, UIL records show.
The UIL lists this as Consol's 11th state appearance, in a history that dates to 1986. The program's tennis account on X counted it as the eighth since 2014.
A different semifinal draw
A year ago Consol also reached the final four, in Waco, and lost 10-0 to Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in the semifinals. Flour Bluff then fell 10-1 to Frisco Centennial in the championship match.
