Palo Verde sweeps state tennis titles
RENO – Considering how easily it came, it’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Palo Verde won a girls state tennis championship.
But after disappointing losses to Bishop Gorman in 2011 and 2013, the Panthers finally broke through and ended their drought Friday morning.
Palo Verde, which won every match this season by at least 10 points, defeated Douglas 16-2 in Friday’s Division I state championship finals at the Caughlin Athletic Club.
“It means everything to us,” Palo Verde coach Jane Centrella said. “This was our goal, and we obtained it.”
Palo Verde (16-0) was so dominant through the first two rounds, leading 12-0, that one Douglas doubles team left the court celebrating that they had taken a game to deuce. Eight of Palo Verde’s 12 wins in the first two rounds were by 6-0 scores, and none by less than 6-2.
“We definitely showed how focused we were,” Palo Verde’s Chloe Henderson said. “In the second round we’d already won. It was tears.”
In singles, Henderson and Annie Walker each went 3-0, as did the doubles team of Sophie Henderson and Abby Lewis.
DIVISION I BOYS
Conor Safbom knew that for Palo Verde to end a run of three straight state tournament appearances without a title, the Panthers’ doubles teams would have to play a big part.
They did.
Palo Verde swept the nine doubles matches on its way to an 11-6 win over Coronado, which beat the Panthers in each of the last two title matches.
“We had discussed strategy and figured doubles had to be our workhorse,” said Safbom, who teamed with Brandon Sulzberg to go 3-0. “But I thought maybe go 6-3, so to contribute that much, the whole team should be so proud.”
Teijiro Nishimura and Kota Cook won a tiebreaker in the first round to allow the Panthers (16-0) to take a 4-2 lead.
In the second round, Danny Patho won another tiebreaker despite an injured shoulder.
“That was the gutsiest performance I’ve seen in eight years by a player for his team,” Palo Verde assistant coach Steven Mann said.
Ryland McDermott was 3-0, and Sam Grant 2-0 in singles to lead Coronado (15-1).
“I thought if we could get seven or eight points in singles, then we’d just need three or four in doubles, but that didn’t work out,” Coronado coach Luther Bohanan said.
Davis Waid and Sam Soderborg also went 3-0 in doubles for the Panthers.
DIVISION I-A GIRLS
Leading 8-4 after two rounds of the Division I-A state girls tennis final on Friday, Faith Lutheran appeared to finally be cruising to its first state title.
Nothing, though, has come easy for the Crusaders.
Faith Lutheran saw its four-point lead against arch-rival The Meadows evaporate before the Crusaders’ top two singles players each pulled out a win and lifted the team to its first state title.
Madison Foley secured the ninth point, and Kathleen Wright won the decisive set, 6-4, over The Meadows’ Erika Reiter to lift the Crusaders to a 10-8 win over the Mustangs at the Tahoe Donner Tennis Center in Truckee, Calif.
“I’m not sure it has even sunk in yet,” said Faith Lutheran coach Jeff Foley, whose team was the state runnerup to The Meadows each of the last two years. “It’s been such a long process, and the girls have worked so hard. It feels awesome.”
Faith Lutheran (17-1) led 8-4 after two rounds and needed to win just two of the final six sets to secure the victory, but Madison Foley sprained her ankle in her second-round match and was having trouble walking.
Meanwhile, the Mustangs won four straight sets to tie the match.
Madison Foley and Wright won the final two sets. Foley, Wright and Carolyn DiPasquale all went 2-1 in singles for Faith Lutheran.
“It was anything but easy,” Jeff Foley said.
Daulat was 3-0 in singles for the Mustangs (13-4).
DIVISION I-A BOYS
Clark boys coach Clarence Chun scrambled his doubles lineup prior to the team’s state championship match against The Meadows on Friday.
He found the perfect combination.
The teams of Chaitanya Ingle and Christian Ong, Marcus Pasimio and Justin Ong, and Trevor Pearl and Felix Zurhorst combined to sweep the nine doubles sets and lead the Chargers to a 12-6 win over The Meadows in the title match.
“Three in a row, yeah, it feels good,” said Chun, whose team became the first boys squad since Bonanza (2001-03) to win three straight titles. “The credit always goes to the players. The passion they have for the tennis makes it so enjoyable.”
The three doubles teams all were different than the lineup Clark (16-0) used to defeat South Tahoe in Thursday’s semifinal.
“We always like to show some variety,” Chun said. “It creates excitement for the players. It creates a new environment, and it challenges them.”
Michael Pasimio went 3-0 in singles for the Chargers, who completed their second straight perfect season and ran their winning streak to 51 matches.
Alex Lanzkowsky, Kevin Chau and Matthew Lamb each went 2-1 in singles for the Mustangs (13-4).
