STATE GIRLS: The Meadows tops Coronado to nab first championship

RENO —  Heading into Friday’s state championship match against Coronado, The Meadows coach Maggie Yahner figured her team would need to dominate in doubles to have any chance at winning the school’s first tennis championship.

A stronger-than-expected showing in singles and an expected edge in doubles proved to be the winning formula for the Mustangs, who beat Coronado 11-7 to claim the Class 4A girls state tennis championship at the Caughlin Club.

“We were hoping our doubles would come out and get nine and we could get one more in singles,” Yahner said. “We felt we had a good matchup with them, and we knew they would have a singles run, so we had to clean up in doubles.”

The Meadows’ doubles teams of McKay Novak and Anjali Daulat, and Austin McMillan and Shannon Chen each went 3-0 as the Mustangs (15-0) claimed eight points in doubles.

“That’s good for them that they were able to dominate doubles,” Coronado coach Luther Bohanan said. “My singles played well, but you have to have a balanced attack, and they had that.”

Amanda Brazell went 2-1, and her twin sister, Taler Brazell, added another win in singles for The Meadows.

“Oh my gosh, we finally won state, and it feels great,” Amanda Brazell said. “No one expected us to win, and we came out and showed our school can compete with them.”

The Meadows, which competes in Class 2A in most other sports, has just 240 students enrolled in its high school grades.

“It doesn’t matter what size you are; it matters how much you love the sport and how dedicated you are,” Amanda Brazell said.
For Coronado (13-3), Gabby Smith went 3-0, and Chrissy Uriarte was 2-1.

When Amanda Brazell’s win over Uriarte gave The Meadows its 10th point, the team’s players and coaches rushed the court to celebrate. Daulat said the excitement began to build when Brazell got within a couple of points of match point.

After an undefeated season, Yahner said she was excited to see her team getting the chance to celebrate its first state crown. “This moment is what they’ve worked for all season, and I’m very happy to see them reap the benefits of that work,” Yahner said.

With two pairs of cousins and a set of twin sisters on the team, Novak said the family atmosphere is part of what helped The Meadows achieve so much.

“It’s so much fun when you have family around you and all the support we have,” she said.