AUSTIN -- A&M Consolidated senior Anik Cepeda charged into the girls Class 5A state championship match with a pair of straight-set victories Monday at the UIL State Tennis Tournament.

"It was a good day although I was a little bit nervous in my first match at the state tournament," Cepeda said. "I was overwhelmed that so many people showed up to cheer me on."

Cepeda will face junior Lilly Kimbell of New Braunfels at 9 a.m. Tuesday for the title. Kimbell, who lives at the Newcombe Tennis Ranch, won the Class 4A singles crown as a freshman and sophomore before New Braunfels moved to 5A this year.

In her semifinal victory at the University of Texas Penick-Allison Tennis Courts, Cepeda dispatched 5A Region III champion Audrey Wooland of Fort Bend Dulles 6-3, 6-2.

"I had played her multiple times and it was the first time I had ever beaten her," said Cepeda, who said the 91-degree temperature helped her. "With the heat, and it was so humid, I saw her panting and sucking wind and I knew if I could hold on in the first set, there was no way she would be able to challenge me in the second."

Cepeda, who will play college tennis at William & Mary, earned her first state medal when she opened by beating Plano's Auvi Tran 6-4, 6-1 in a quarterfinal match.

"I worked through the nerves in the first set, but as soon as I did that I regained my composure," said Cepeda, who was pleased to get both matches on stadium courts. "I was happy we got there, because it would be miserable for [her fans] if they had been watching through a screen. They got to show off their posters and they had T-shirts. We were the loudest ones there."

Kimbell and Cepeda competed in last summer's Texas Summer Grand Slam event in College Station but did not face one another. Kimbell, the top seed in that tournament, finished third. The two have never faced one another.

On Monday, Kimbell defeated Cepeda's doubles partner from that tournament, Abby Hayley, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the championship match. Cepeda's last match against Hayley was in the 5A Region II final, with Cepeda winning 6-1, 6-1.

In her previous two years at state, Kimbell had lost a total of 12 games and no more that two in a set. On Monday she defeated her quarterfinal opponent, Fort Bend Austin's Lucy Wu, 6-3, 6-2.

"[Kimbell's] very good and won the biggest national tournament in 16[-year-olds] two years ago," Cepeda said. "I've known her since she first came to Texas and won a string of tournaments in a row. She took all us Texas girls by surprise. You wouldn't think to look at her that she's that good of a tennis player, but she gets on the court and destroys you."

At World of Tennis at Lakeway, the site of the 3A-2A-A matches, Cameron senior Brittni Fausett put herself in position for a third state singles championship. She cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Sinton's Kelci Molina in their 3A quarterfinal and then qualified for her first 3A final with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Lindsay Meachem of Fredericksburg.

Fausett's high school record is now 94-2. She won state titles as a freshman and sophomore while competing for Class 2A Winona.

Fausett will play Abilene Wylie's Brooke Dennis in the 9 a.m. championship match. Dennis won her semifinal 6-0, 6-1 against Wharton's Paige Bahnsen after advancing with a 6-1, 6-0 win in the quarterfinals against Maddie Schorlemmer of Argyle.

Franklin's Kendra Casey and Jake Russ remained on track for their third straight Class 2A doubles crown by advancing to the final. They beat Leonard's team of James Arnold and Daniella Norman 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals before rolling to a 6-0, 6-0 victory in the semifinals against Wall's Emily Talley and Patrick Bubenik.

A pair of Caseys will play for championships. Franklin freshman Kayla Casey, Kendra's younger sister, won her 2A singles quarterfinal 6-0, 6-1 against Peaster's Molly Welsh. She followed that match with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 win over Salado's Kaitlyn Reed.

Kayla Casey will play San Saba's Taylor Hilber, who beat Emily Lobnitz of Sunnyvale 7-6, 6-0 in her semifinal.

Lexington's Ben Spencer and Ally Abshire needed a marathon match to outlast Cash Jennings and Alyssa Vela of Sonoroa 7-5, 5-7, 6-3, but fell in the second round to Krum's Daniel Atterberry and Afton Barber, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. Spencer was shooting for his second straight championship after winning in boys doubles a year ago.

The Centerville mixed doubles team of Kelsey Lagrone and Michael Gwosdz, runners-up in 2A Region III, was the only Brazos Valley entry to fall in the quarterfinals. They lost 6-0, 7-6 to Atterberry and Barber.

UIL State Tournament

AUSTIN -- Results from Monday's University Interscholastic League boys and girls state tennis championships involving Brazos Valley teams and individuals:

Class 5A

Girls Singles

Quarterfinals

Audrey Woodland, Fort Bend Dulles, def. Lindsey Tristan, Corpus Christi King, 6-1, 6-4; Anik Cepeda, A&M Consolidated, def. Auvi Tran, Plano, 6-4, 6-1; Abby Hayley, Conroe The Woodlands, def. MacKenna Maddox, McKinney Boyd, 6-3, 6-3; Lilly Kimball, New Braunfels, def. Lucy Wu, Fort Bend Austin, 6-3, 6-2.

Semifinals

Anik Cepeda, A&M Consolidated def. Audrey Woodland, Fort Bend Dulles, 6-3, 6-1; Lilly Kimball, New Braunfels, def. Abby Hayley, Conroe The Woodlands, 6-1, 6-1.

Class 3A

Girls Singles

Quarterfinals

Brittni Fausett, Cameron Yoe, def. Kelci Molina, Sinton, 6-0, 6-0; Lindsay Mechem, Fredericksburg, def. Becky Forbus, Farmersville, 6-0, 6-2; Brooke Dennis, Abilene Wylie, def. Maddie Schorlemmer, Argyle, 6-1, 6-0; Paige Bahnsen, Wharton, def. Meredith Miller, Bridge City, 6-4, 6-3.

Semifinals

Brooke Dennis, Abilene Wylie, def. Paige Bahnsen, Wharton, 6-0, 6-1; Brittni Fausett, Cameron Yoe def. Lindsay Mechem, Fredericksburg, 6-4, 6-2

Class 2A

Girls Singles

Quarterfinals

Taylor Hibler, San Saba, def. Katherine Cruz, Geronimo Navarro, 6-0, 6-0; Emily Lobnitz, Sunnyvale, def. Shana Landry, Kirbyville, 6-0, 6-1; Kayla Casey, Franklin, def. Molly Welsh, Peaster, 6-0, 6-1; Kaitlyn Reed, Salado, def. Janee Denman, Dimmitt, 6-1, 6-3.

Semifinals

Taylor Hibler, San Saba, def. Emily Lobnitz, Sunnyvale, 7-6 (0), 6-0; Kayla Casey, Franklin def. Kaitlyn Reed, Salado, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

Mixed Doubles

Quarterfinals

Ben Spencer and Ally Abshire, Lexington def. Cash Jennings and Alyssa Vela, Sonora, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3; Daniel Atterberry and Afton Barber, Krum def. Kelsey Lagrone and Michael Gwosdz, Centerville, 6-0, 7-6; Patrick Bubenik and Emily Talley, Wall def. Nichda Engel and Lauren Zancketti, Comfort, 6-3, 6-2; Kendra Casey and Jake Russ, Franklin def. James Arnold and Daniella Norman, Leonard, 6-2, 6-1.

Semifinals

Daniel Atterberry and Afton Barber, Krum def. Ben Spencer and Ally Abshire, Lexington, 7-6 (6), 6-2; Kendra Casey and Jake Russ, Franklin def. Patrick Bubenik and Emily Talley, Wall, 6-0, 6-0.