DIVISION I-A GIRLS: Brazell sisters, Tatlock find perfect ending to high school careers

Twin sisters Amanda Brazell and Taler Brazell experienced the feeling of winning a state team tennis title with The Meadows two years ago.

Last year, they captured a state doubles title.

And on their last day of high school tennis Saturday, the Mustang seniors put everything together.

A day after helping The Meadows to the Division I-A girls team title, the Brazells breezed to another doubles crown, routing South Tahoe’s Cassandra Marin and Emily Rives, 6-0, 6-0, in the final at Reno Tennis Center.

“It really is a storybook ending,” said Amanda Brazell. “We’ve been working hard toward this since our freshman year. We’re so happy right now.”

There was never much of a doubt the sisters would win. They lost only one game in 10 sets of the Southern Region tournament and, after advancing by forfeit Friday, won their semifinal 6-0, 6-0.

“This is definitely what we were picturing,” Taler Brazell said. “Now all of our hard work and the ups and downs have really paid off. It’s a great feeling. It’s sweet, but it’s also a little bittersweet because this is the last time we will play high school tennis together.”

But it was also a day and a result the Brazells were looking forward to since the end of the 2010 season.

The sisters nearly pulled off the double win as sophomores, falling in a third-set tiebreaker in the doubles final. They’ve dominated their competition all year as seniors.

“We’ve been very anxious,” Taler Brazell said. “The first day here, we had to wait, and all we wanted to do was get out there and do what we know we can do and what we needed to do.”

The Brazells played doubles, albeit in different pairings Thursday and Friday to help the Mustangs capture the team crown. The Meadows boys team also made the trip to Reno, falling to Truckee in Thursday’s semifinal, but the added fan base from having both teams represented provided even more encouragement.

“It was great to have that support,” Amanda Brazell said. “To have all of the Las Vegas teams here and cheering for us, that was really supportive.”

The Brazells weren’t the only ones to live out a dream Saturday.

Hannah Tatlock got a measure of revenge and a bit of history.

The Mojave senior avenged her loss in the Southern Region final by downing The Meadows’ Erika Mauban, 6-3, 6-2, in the girls singles final.

Tatlock is the first Mojave tennis player ever to win a state title.

“It feels so great,” she said. “I really haven’t won many tournaments, and I don’t think my school has ever sent anyone to state. To be able to represent my school is amazing.”

The Rattlers had only three eligible girls tennis players this year, so Tatlock didn’t get the chance to experience a team win all year. Mojave is still trying to build a program.

“I still had fun,” Tatlock said. “It was really exciting even though we knew we weren’t going to win.”

As a result, her chance to shine came in the individual tournament, and Tatlock just missed capturing the Southern Region title on Monday, falling to Mauban, 6-7(2), 6-4, 6-4 in a match that lasted more than three hours.

“I was so close, and I knew I wanted to get back and get another chance to play her,” Tatlock said. “She’s a great player, but I knew I did a few things wrong.”

Tatlock served better on Saturday in windy conditions, and it helped turn the result in her favor.

“I was more aggressive,” she said. “Whenever I could, I hit heavy serves, and I tried to come in.”