Day 3
Houston, TX, WPH Press, 2/19/23-
The eighth edition of the Houston Race 4 Eight wrapped on Sunday with the R48 and WR48 finals and playoffs.
R48 Final: Carroll vs. Lucho
Killian Carroll won his second consecutive tiebreaker on Saturday afternoon to advance to his second final of the season, while Lucho Cordova clinched his fifth finals appearance of the season with a two-game semifinal sweep on Saturday.
Carroll played like he had a point to prove in the first game, blitzing Lucho en route to a 9-0 lead. “Killian was just killing everything in the beginning of the first game and there wasn’t anything I could do,” Lucho would later say. Lucho scored six points after the initial Carroll streak but could not overcome the early deficit, dropping game one.
Lucho took control in game two, keeping Carroll on his back foot and building a 4-0 lead and eventually a 13-4 lead. Seemingly on the verge of a tiebreaker, Carroll mounted his comeback. Nine consecutive points tied the game at 13, but uncharacteristically, Carroll could not complete the comeback, making two errors to end the game.
Lucho grabbed the momentum after taking game two, building a 7-2 lead by winning a number of punishing rallies. Carroll evened the score on just six swings, striking five ace serves and a first strike kill to tie the score at 7. Lucho regained control from there, extending rallies and building a 13-8 advantage. Carroll would not catch Lucho, as a re kill and a finishing kill earned Lucho his third title of the season.
“I kind of switched to a lob serve in the second and he started getting more passive then I got back into serving hard and he gave me a few setups and I put them away,” stated Lucho. “I was just going for it in the tiebreaker because I felt like I was waiting for the perfect opportunities in the second. The good opportunities never come with Killian so I just had to go for it.”
Final: Lucho def Carroll 6-15, 15-13, 15-11
R48 Playoffs
5th Place
Leo Canales dominated the action in the fifth place final, defeating Danos Cordova for the second consecutive time. Canales had all of the answers against the three-time R48 champion, defending Daniel’s serves and executing a high percentage of one-inch high kills with his right.
“I tried to stay calm, I get amped up playing Daniel and Luis. I just focused on letting the ball drop and putting the ball down. I am trying to get as many points as I can at each stop to move into the top four.”
Final: Canales def Danos 25-10
9th Place
Sam Esser avenged his late fall loss to The Mound Man Jeff Streibig in the ninth place final, bouncing back from his opening round loss to Daniel Cordova to take ninth place for his second-best finish of the season.
Final: Esser def Streibig 25-17
17th Place
Andres Cordova clinched 17th place with three impressive playoff victories, including a close final against Jab Bike that saw the two lefties showcasing their tremendous power.
Final: A. Cordova def Jab Bike 25-19
R48 Houston Finishes
1st: Lucho
2nd: Carroll
3rd: Fink/M. Mulkerrins
5th: Canales, Jr.
6th: D. Cordova
7th: D. Mulkerrins/Ruiz
9th: Esser
10th: Streibig
11th: English/Mehilos
13th: Schiller/Walsh/D. Perez/Langmack
17th: A. Cordova
WR48 Final: Casey vs. Tully
The Houston final featured a rematch of last year’s Houston WR48 final, as well as a rematch of the first stop of this season 2022 Tucson Memorial final, both won by Casey. Casey would be aiming for her twenty-fourth WR48 title, while Tully would be seeking her first. Tully drew the most difficult task in pro sports – defeating the indomitable WR48 Casey who has won 97% of her WR48 matches and 92% of the WR48 events she has entered.
Tully played even for Casey for the first eight rallies, with the top ranked WR48 pros trading side outs. Once Casey put her first point on the board Tully quickly found herself on the wrong end of a 10-0 score line. Tully eventually scored two but never mustered a challenge to the WR48 #1. Game two was no different, as Casey’s full arsenal of serves, passes, kills, and defense were on full display. “I have seen Catriona play so many times and I still can’t believe the elite shots she makes so consistently,” stated ESPN’s Dave Vincent.
“It means an awful lot to win,” stated Casey. “I’m delighted. The draw was stacked, a lot of great players. I want to just keep improving. Last year I felt a bit burned out and I’m just really enjoying it now.”
Final: Casey def Tully 15-2, 15-2
WR48 Playoffs
3rd Place
Aimee Tuohey overcame Eilise McCrory for third, building a 15-4 lead at halftime and cruising to a top three finish. “I was less spazzy today,” Tuohey would later say. “She hit some great serves down the left in the second half.”
Final: Aimee Tuohey def Eilise McCroy 25-11
5th Place
Ashley Ruiz bounced back from an opening round loss to Eilise McCrory to win fifth, overcoming Kristen Hughes in the one-game final
Final: Ruiz def Hughes 25-8
WR48 Houston Finishes
1st: Casey
2nd: Tully
3rd: Tuohey
4th: McCrory
5th: Ruiz
Thank you!
Thank you to the Houston Handball Club for another outstanding stop in Space City. Special thanks to Ron Cole, John Egbert, Chuck Reeves, and Jim Krepper for their generosity and time in planning, sponsoring, and running another great event in Houston. Thank you to the Tellepsen Downtown YMCA for being wonderful hosts to all of the players and fans. Thank you to the WPH broadcast crew for another sensational weekend of broadcasts.
Watch replays from the 2023 Houston Race 4 Eight on ESPN+
Follow the brackets from Houston HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer