Community Champion: Coronado’s Naomi Katz shines at UIL state tennis tournament

EL PASO, Texas - Coronado tennis player Naomi Katz is thankful for a lot of things this season.

First, that the season wasn't cut short like last year because of covid-19, and that she was able to get the furthest she's ever gone in the state tournament.

On May 22, Katz made it all the way to the UIL class 6A championship match.

In her first two matches of the tournament, Katz beat her opponents in straight sets.

The championship match was a challenge for the Coronado junior who ended up losing the match in straight sets to a tennis player from Austin.

The tennis player Katz lost to was a senior, while Katz is a junior.

Katz took home the silver medal and also a wealth of experience as she'll have another shot at winning a state title next season as a senior.

An El Paso tennis player hasn't won a state title on the girls side since 1993, and Katz is hoping to change that.

"That would be amazing," Katz said. "I mean I can only hope for it, and hopefully I'll work hard this year and I'll be back next year and I'll secure that title. I was definitely proud of myself and I guess a lot of my hard work has paid off, so it's really exciting."

Katz says she's been playing tennis since she was 6 years old and it's a game she loves.

She plans to compete in tournaments over the summer in preparation for her senior season.

For her accomplishments this season, Katz has been named a Community Champion.

Community Champions is sponsored by Albertsons and the El Paso Community Foundation.