A women’s tennis team from Selma captured UTSA State Championships last week.

The women’s team captured the UTSA 2.5 level Alabama Tournament championship. The team is coached by Morgan Academy tennis coach Baxter Stinson. The men’s team, which Stinson is the only Selma native on the squad, won the second straight 4.0 level title.

Women team members are: Mary Harris, Captain Rachel Todd, Kimberly Canada, Leigh Chappelle, Amy Jones, Fran Bruner, Sid Utsey, Fran Spivey, Jessica Spivey and Landon Posey.

Todd said it was enjoyable watching the squad come together and capture the championship. The team practiced at tennis courts at InShape Fitness and Bloch Park to prepare for the tournament.

“It was so much fun and exciting to win the tournament,” Todd said. “We played teams from Birmingham and Montgomery in bigger cities and here we are from small Selma. We played very well as a team.”

The women squad will represent Alabama at the 2.5 tournament next month in Mobile. The squad will compete against nine southern state champions with a berth to the national tournament at stake.

“It was fun for me to watch their reactions because this is all so new to them that they had no idea how to react, so they just did whatever came naturally,” Stinson said. “Their win should show people to not be afraid to try new things, specifically tennis; with some time and effort and a good coach, you can become successful quickly.”