For two days, the tournament belongs to individuals—each match unfolding independently across multiple courts, each result quietly building toward something larger.
By Levi Gwaltney
Source: New Mexico Activities Association
Photos: Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics
The 2026 NMAA State Tennis Championships begin this week in Albuquerque, opening a four-day tournament that unfolds in two distinct phases—first as an individual pursuit, and later as a team competition shaped by those early results.
Presented by Corley’s Albuquerque Lincoln Volvo, the tournament runs May 6–9 across multiple sites, including Albuquerque Academy, the Jerry Cline Tennis Complex, and Ventana Ranch Park.
For the first two days, the focus is singular: individual singles and doubles brackets, where players compete not as teams, but on their own.
By the time the tournament shifts to team play on May 8, those individual performances will have already reshaped the competitive landscape.
A Format That Builds Toward Team Play
Unlike most high school sports, state tennis begins without teams on the court.
Organ Mountain Girls Tennis are Back-to-Back District Tennis Champs. (Courtesy Thrive575 Sports via Facebook)
Instead, players enter singles and doubles brackets that determine more than just individual champions—they establish momentum, confidence, and in some cases, expectations for the team competition that follows.
Centennial Boys Tennis Team earns the title of District Champs. (Courtesy Thrive575 Athletics via Facebook)
In certain portions of the bracket, a format occasionally referred to as a “3-2-1” structure comes into play—three competitors grouped together, two matches played, and one advancing. While not universal across all draws, the format underscores how progression in the tournament is not always linear, requiring players to navigate compact, high-stakes sequences.
Local Presence Across Every Bracket
Athletes from our broader community are represented across every classification and bracket, from Class A-4A through 5A, setting up a wide-ranging presence on the state stage.
In boys singles, Chaparral’s Oscar Tiscareno and Alex De La Cruz open play in the A-4A bracket, while in 5A, Las Cruces’ Roxas Kendall faces a seeded opponent and Centennial’s George Gibson enters as a No. 3 seed.
Doubles play adds another layer of opportunity. Santa Teresa teams headline the A-4A boys bracket, while Centennial’s top-seeded pairing of Follen and Hooten leads the 5A field. Organ Mountain adds depth with multiple doubles teams competing in 5A.
On the girls side, Santa Teresa and Chaparral again appear in A-4A singles, while Organ Mountain’s Savannah Reiman enters the 5A bracket as the defending state champion and No. 1 seed. Teammate Annabelle Jorgensen joins her in a bracket that will help define the individual phase of the tournament.
Centennial fields multiple doubles teams in 5A, including a seeded pairing, while Chaparral represents in A-4A doubles competition.
From Individual Matches to Team Stakes
The individual rounds are not isolated. They set the stage for the team competition beginning May 8, where schools will compete in a nine-match format combining six singles and three doubles matches.
Several local programs enter the team brackets in strong positions:
- Centennial boys hold the No. 1 seed in Class 5A
- Organ Mountain boys enter as the No. 5 seed
- Organ Mountain girls are seeded No. 3 in 5A
- Centennial girls enter as the No. 4 seed
In Class A-4A, both Chaparral and Santa Teresa will look to advance through opening-round matchups to face higher-seeded programs.
The Tournament Begins
For two days, the tournament belongs to individuals—each match unfolding independently across multiple courts, each result quietly building toward something larger.
By the time the team brackets begin, the outcomes of those matches will already be shaping the path forward.
The state tournament doesn’t begin with teams.
It builds them.
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