The 2007 Team Tennis State Championship will take place Friday and Saturday at the World of Tennis at Lakewood in Austin. The Houston area will be well represented, as the Katy Taylor Mustangs and Klein Bearkats will be competing for the state title.

The Mustangs are making their thirteenth consecutive trip to the state tournament, which is a class 5A record, and are hoping to add another title to their 1997, 1998, and 2002 state wins. Taylor has a 19-2 record after defeating Clear Lake 10-8 to advance to state.

“Going to state is definitely the highlight of fall.  We do a lot of work leading up to it and play a lot of matches.  Going to state is [our] reward,” Taylor head coach Kirk Kniffen said. “But, on the other hand, [we] want to go down there and win, too.  We enjoy what we are doing, but we also know that we have a job to do, and we take that very seriously.  We want to hang another state championship sign on the fence.”

The Mustangs' first match will be against the 16-3 El Paso Coronado Thunderbirds on Friday. El Paso is making their first back-to-back appearance and their sixth overall appearance at the state tournament.

“We have not seen them or played against them, but we have some common opponents,” Kniffen said about the Thunderbirds.

How does Kniffen prepare for a team he has never seen?  “We set our lineup solid from the beginning," he said.  "We’re balanced on both sides, and we try to have a lineup that’s going to be able to win against any type of team.”

Taylor has the possibility of playing Klein, another state qualifier from Greater Houston.  But Kniffen said that the team is thinking about El Paso right now.

“We are not looking ahead," he said.  "We’re just focusing on getting ready for Friday morning.  When Friday morning rolls around and goes like we want, then we are going to be ready for Saturday,” Kniffen said.

Klein is making their first trip back to state since 1993. The Bearkats have some history on their side, as they were the first team to win the team tennis state title back in 1983. Klein defeated the three-time defending state champions from Plano West to earn a spot in this year's state tournament.

The Bearkats face a stiff challenge before they even get to Taylor.  They begin the tournament with the Austin Westlake Chaparrals, who are currently 23-0 and last year’s state runner-up.

The Klein and Taylor squads will both compete at 9 a.m. Friday, and the state title match will take place Saturday at 9 a.m.

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