Consol senior embracing change

Change has been good for Sarah Solcher. She and teammate Jeremy Parulian will open mixed doubles play Tuesday at the Region II-5A tennis tournament at the Waco Regional Tennis Center.

That change has not always been easy, though. A year ago, Solcher played girls doubles. When she started high school, she played volleyball.

So, it's one more rewarding step for the A&M Consolidated senior to compete in the regional tournament.

"Coach [Stephen] Mercer just put me in mixed," Solcher said. "I was hesitant playing mixed because it was a lot faster pace and I wasn't used to it, but after playing it a little bit, it was a lot more fun."

Solcher says it takes some adjustment to play mixed doubles, which pairs female and male players.

"You have to be a little more prepared for the guys, who are a lot more aggressive," Solcher said. "You have to really work hard at the net. Yeah, the guys are aggressive, a lot more than girls. It's a lot faster pace and I think it's fun."

"She played with Erin Briers last year, who played the other mixed spot this year," said Mercer, A&M Consolidated's head tennis coach. "I ask their preferences, but put them in to where I think they will do best. Sarah wasn't thrilled about playing mixed, but she'll do whatever is asked of her."

Solcher's biggest change just involved picking up a tennis racquet.

"I actually have not been playing tennis for very long," Solcher said. "I started playing my sophomore year. I was a big volleyball player and tennis just kind of happened, and I really grew to like it."

"I'm pretty athletic, so I got the hang of it, but I wasn't the kind of player that started when they were really little and played in tournaments their whole life. I wasn't like that at all."

She will attend Texas A&M, where intramural tennis might be in her future. Solcher sees it as a sport that she may play as she grows older.

"I don't want to lose all of my skills, but I won't be playing avidly," Solcher said.

She was pushed toward tennis and out of volleyball when volleyball tryouts came during a bad time of a busy week. The move from an indoor volleyball court to the tennis court outside did not come naturally.

"It was rough the first six months, but I got the hang of it, and I'm on varsity now," Solcher said. "I started on JV and I wasn't very good. I got better and took some lessons at Pebble Creek and worked on technique. It's just growing more as an experienced player, because I lacked experience in reading shots. I'm getting better at it."

That seems clear.

"She was a pretty good athlete, but she just worked hard," said Mercer, whose mixed doubles team lost in the 12-5A final to Belton's brother-sister duo, Jacob and Katie Daugherty.

"Sarah fought for a spot on varsity. She fought hard, worked hard and it paid off," Mercer said. "They took second in district against two really good players, but they played with them and didn't get blown out."

There were some carry-over advantages drawn from volleyball.

"Footwork definitely does, like the lateral movement, and front and back," the 5-foot-9 Solcher said. "At net, I'm very aggressive because I like hitting overheads and with my serve, I definitely use my height to my advantage and really jump up on the ball."

Solcher says that teaming with a good partner made any transition easier to take.

"My partner, Jeremy, is very easy-going," Solcher said. "He's awesome. Sometimes girls get a little catty or maybe they get mad, but I can't really get mad at Jeremy. I like [mixed doubles] better, I think."

This tournament is a nice addition to a busy finish to her senior year. She has served on student council in the past. She also is a member of Young Life, a Christian group. She worked in a Young Life camp in Colorado for a month last summer.

"I'm into school and I focus on my academics a lot," Solcher said. "It's been really busy these past few weeks, because a lot of my AP classes are wrapping up and we're starting to review for AP tests. A lot of people think it's your senior year, all downhill. I'm really focused on those test, because I need to pass them to get the college credit."

It eases the transition for the next change.

The Tigers will send two singles players to the II-5A tournament. Frankie Colunga defeated teammate Zaveir Habib it the championship match in District 12-5A, so both advance.

"Frankie has had a great year in singles this spring," Mercer said. "He's won several tournaments but has lost in the semis or finals in a couple of them just because it's tough and there's a bunch of good singles guys out there."

Chris and Ben Walter won the district boys doubles title and will also play at the regional tournament. The Walter brothers may have the best chance to advance, but it is a talented field.

"Our region has always been top-heavy and it just got worse," laughed Mercer. "When they switched last year, they added Austin Westlake, a perennial powerhouse, and added McKinney Boyd, and you just go 'Wow!' It went from really stiff to just ridiculous."

The girls doubles team of Esther Parulian and Amy Gore advanced by winning district in split sets, but they also have taken great strides this year.

"The first couple of tournaments, they played JV," Mercer said. "They have beaten other girls for the top spot and at district. They played great."