Wylie High School's tennis team locked up the District 4-5A championship with four wins. The Bulldogs hold the No. 1 ranking in Class 5A heading into the University Interscholastic League (UIL) postseason.

Coach Adam Cherry's squad dominated district play, beating Wichita Falls Legacy 16-3, Abilene Cooper 18-1, Wichita Falls Memorial 18-1 and Abilene High 18-1, according to Wylie ISD athletics.

The Bulldogs opened the season ranked No. 3 in Class 5A behind Frisco Independence and Highland Park. They have since climbed to the top spot. Behind them in the current rankings sit No. 2 Highland Park, No. 3 Frisco Centennial, No. 4 Frisco Independence and No. 5 Frisco Emerson.

Centennial is the three-time defending state champion.

Wylie's roster features two-time defending Class 5A state singles champion Hope Willis, who beat Corpus Christi Flour Bluff's Victoria Torres 6-1, 6-2 in the 2026 final, according to the Wylie Paw Print. Boys' doubles partners James McCall and Witten Sides won the state doubles title at the same tournament.

Cherry set the tone for the season in an Aug. 21 preseason interview, joking about the No. 3 preseason ranking: "We were 1 last year and didn't win it, so let's try 3."

The program has reached four state tournaments at the 5A level, in 2018, 2021, 2024 and 2026, but has not won the title. In 2026, Wylie captured the Region 1 championship before falling to Centennial 10-3 in the state semifinals. Centennial went on to claim its third straight crown.

Cherry told Wylie ISD athletics in August that the tough early-season schedule tested the team against that kind of pressure. After a narrow 10-9 loss to Class 6A No. 8 Coppell, he said the experience would pay off: "To win a state championship, it's going to be matches like that. We can learn from that."

The Bulldogs host Sweetwater on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in a match postponed from earlier in the season. Wylie then hosts Midland Lee on Oct. 4 in a final tune-up before the UIL team tennis tournament opens Oct. 21.