Aspen Wooten, Lake Nona girls capture elusive FHSAA tennis state title

Aspen Wooten, a talented tennis prodigy who moved from Memphis to Lake Nona with her family as a ninth grader, had accomplished just about everything available in her four-year high school career — including winning more than 100 matches.

The one big missing piece was seeing her team finally capture an elusive state championship.

On Tuesday afternoon at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Wooten finally achieved that goal. With the Lions leading 3-0 and needing just one more match win against reigning state champ Miami Palmetto, she looked like a girl on a mission. She closed out a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-2 (10-2) win against Allesia Franco to clinch the team title.

“It was now or nothing. It’s my senior year. I wanted to go out on a bang,” said Wooten.

That she did. After dominating the second set to even the No. 2 singles match she continued her stellar play in the 10-point tiebreaker. Wooten drilled two overheads for points, added another with an exquisite drop shot, and ripped a two-handed backhand down the line on the way to a 7-1 advantage. She closed the match with a sharp backhand volley to give the Lions the FHSAA Class 4A state championship.

Sad memories of last year — when Wooten lost a tiebreaker in her state championship singles match to hand Palmetto the title — are all but erased. Painted over by the joy that came when her teammates rushed the court to celebrate her conquest.

“I wanted to turn it all around and I did. I turned on the kill switch,” said Wooten, who is moving on to play for the Naval Academy.

When asked about her family’s move to a community that boasts the USTA National Campus, Wooten said:

“The best four years of my life. It’s a big family and it kept getting bigger. We support each other so much.”

The Lions had 42 varsity players this year, including 22 girls. Every one played at least one varsity match.

Lake Nona took control in the final by winning the two doubles lines. Wooten teamed with standout sophomore Ashley Narath to win No. 1 doubles. Sophomore Ariana Barber and fourth-year senior Shaka Moturi won the second doubles match, and Moturi cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win in No. 4 singles to make it 3-0.

Lake Nona’s dominance was thorough. Narath led 6-4, 2-1 at No. 1 singles, Barber had won the first set at No. 3 and sophomore Brianna Torres led 6-1, 4-1 when play was called off when Wooten clinched the verdict.