Not only did she return to the Class 5A State Tournament in San Antonio on May 7, she advanced to the quarterfinals. In the opening round of 16, Satterfield defeated Brinn Brawner of Georgetown, 6-3, 6-3.
Then, in the quarterfinals, her season ended with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to Khloe Wade of Tyler High.
Satterfield is only the fourth player in Aledo tennis history to reach state in consecutive seasons. Ginny Hubbard did so from 1999-2001, along with Rob Raines in 2012-13 and Ryan Howell in 2013-14.
“What a fantastic year for her to make it to state for a second year in a row, and really for all of our players this year,” Aledo coach Joe McCoy said. “They’ve all put in a lot of time and hard work to live up to their own expectations and achieve such great accomplishments. They push each other in practice to not only improve their own game but their teammate’s skill level as well.”
Hope Willis of Abilene Wylie won state, defeating Victoria Torres of Corpus Christi Flour Bluff in the final, 6-1, 6-2. It was Willis’ third straight state championship.
Willis is the player who perhaps kept Satterfield from winning the 5A Region I Tournament, defeating her 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals. Otherwise, Satterfield was utterly dominant at regionals, winning six sets and losing none, and winning 36 of 38 games.
She won her first match 6-0, 6-1; her second 6-0, 6-0; and for a second straight season defeated Khloe Valdez of Lubbock for third place, 6-1, 6-0.
In all, Aledo had 11 players reach the regional tournament.
“We had a great year again this year, sweeping the district championships in the fall in both JV and varsity divisions and in the spring, winning on the girls’ and boys’ side in both the JV and varsity divisions at the district tournaments,” McCoy said.
“We’ve improved a great deal throughout the course of this year and played some of our best tennis at the district tournament and a very tough regional tournament.”
Region I captured three of the five state championships this season.
As for the future as Aledo moves up to Class 6A next season, McCoy is confident the program will continue to be a force to be dealt with.
“We have awesome middle school coaches who start the process of teaching the fundamentals and getting players involved in the game. We have fantastic parent support who provide equipment and transportation to practices and lessons and come to matches and tournaments to cheer on their child and give them moral and emotional support,” he said. “We have so many great people involved in the process who deserve credit for our success. I appreciate everyone involved and want to thank them for their efforts and support.
“I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished this year. Next year, we move up to 6A and into a completely new district and I have no doubt that our players will continue to work hard and step up to those challenges. I look forward to another amazing season next year.”
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