Everman senior undefeated on his way to UIL state tennis

Everman senior Angel Palacios expected to make an appearance at the UIL state tennis tournament this season, so there was no grand celebration when he won his second consecutive Class 5A Region I singles title last month.

The state tournament starts Monday at Texas A&M’s Mitchell Tennis Center, and Palacios is back and riding a 39-0 individual winning streak with a boys quarterfinal matchup against Dallas Hillcrest’s Zane Kohrs.

After going 67-1 in his junior and senior seasons with his only loss coming in last year’s state quarterfinal to Edinburg Vela’s Andre Mercado, the eventual state runner-up, Palacios’ confidence has instilled a businesslike attitude this season.

“I expected to win because last year I won,” Palacios said of the regional tournament. “Last year, not being able to win [state] was a disappointment. That was my goal I set before high school: to get a state championship.”

That loss, in which he won the first set in the best-of-three format, has fueled this year’s undefeated run. Everman coach David McCollum placed what he thought to be the toughest schedule of Palacios’ four-year run at Everman, and Palacios has passed every test.

“That was probably the most disappointment I’ve ever seen on his face,” McCollum said of the loss last year at the state tournament.

Palacios has turned that disappointment into a senior season to remember, and he has climbed to a No. 12 in the USTA Texas ranking, which include only USTA sanctioned events, separate from high school competition.

“Losing that match helped me a lot this year,” Palacios said. “It was a really close match, three sets, and he lost in the finals in a tight match, too, so I’m feeling like I should do the same or better this year.”

No matter how he finishes, Palacios will leave an indelible mark on the Everman tennis program. He is the only Bulldogs player to have qualified for the state tennis tournament.

In four years of District 8-5A competition, Palacios is not only undefeated. He never dropped a set. In one stretch during his junior season, he mowed over opponent after opponent on his way to winning 121 consecutive games. He has an 11-2 record in four appearances at the Region I tournament.

McCollum has been there for every step in Palacios’ progression, but said he’s never seen anything like the leap in ability Palacios made between his sophomore and junior seasons. The 43-year coaching veteran has watched Palacios grow up after first coaching both his older sister and brother.

“It’s a unique situation,” McCollum said. “But we’re like a family. Angel has worked hard for all his successes and it couldn’t happen to a better kid.”

But for Palacios, his greatest success is still to come, even after the state tournament. In January, he signed a full-ride scholarship offer to play NCAA Division II tennis for Midwestern State in Wichita Falls.

“I’m really excited to go and play over there. They have a really good team,” Palacios said. “My parents always wanted that for me. We’re really happy tennis has given that to me.”

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Everman senior undefeated on his way to UIL state tennis."