The future looks bright yet again for Lake Travis tennis.

There weren’t any state championships brought home this year from the World of Tennis, but there was a glimpse of what the team and players should be capable of over at least the next two years.

Leading the way was Austin Mayo, who reached the state semifinals in boys’ singles before falling 6-1, 6-1 to Rockwall Heath’s Borhnstedt. Mayo reached the semis after walloping Denton’s Hee Won Kim 6-1, 6-3.

“He’s come the furthest of any sophomore in the history of the program at Lake Travis,” Lake Travis head coach Carol Creel said. “He was disappointed and felt like he could have played better, but I was very proud of how he played.”

Meanwhile, Claire Cahill and Conor O’Rourke were upended in the quarterfinals, albeit a bit unexpectedly.

“I think the team that they played – we certainly felt they’d be a strong team – but they had a special formation that really allowed their guy to hit to his strengths,” Creel said. “I’m not sure if they were nervous, but they just didn’t play as well as they have lately. It was just kind of a windy, bad match and maybe a bit of jitters.”

Still, she’s thankful for the impact both players have had on the season.
“Conor was a great addition,” Creel said. “He fired everybody up and he and Claire were the backbone of the team. It will be tough to see her leave for college.”

The duo that O’Rourke and Cahill lost to ended up playing for the state championship and losing, while Borhnstedt did the same in boys’ singles.
The finishes weren’t what any of the Cavaliers were hoping for, but the run to the state championships by the entire team give Creel reason to believe in the future of the program.

“Your maximum expectations, realistically, would have been Ryan Brown making it if she hadn’t been injured, and our boys’ doubles team of Jaxon Immler and Carlos Arana making it – they took one of the teams that made it to three sets in the regional. They were really close,” Creel said. “So that would have been the ultimate, for sure, but with another fall season, we’re going to be really strong.”