SUNSET REGION: Panther boys find right mix, top Gaels

Palo Verde's boys tennis team struggled to find the right lineup combination to beat Bishop Gorman during the regular season.

And after falling behind to the Gaels 4-2 in the first round of Friday's Sunset Region final, it appeared the Panthers still might need some tweaking.

But Palo Verde rallied to win 5 of 6 second-round matches and went on to defeat Gorman, 11-7 at the Darling Tennis Center.

Palo Verde (10-2), which lost both regular-season meetings to the Gaels, will play in the Division I state tournament, which begins Oct. 22. Gorman (12-1) will face Green Valley for the final state berth in a play-in match on Oct. 20.

Ethan Ballard and Max Foels both dropped their first-round set, but recovered to lead the second-round charge for the Panthers, who captured their seventh straight Sunset crown.

"We took Ethan Ballard out of doubles and put him into singles today," Palo Verde coach Zach Brandt said. "He's a senior, and he's been here before. Ethan is more comfortable. He's a singles kid. He was that point in that second round at No. 3 singles that we didn't get the last time that we played them."

The second round was huge for Palo Verde, which seemed to gain confidence throughout the match.

"It's very rare to see that because sometimes a 4-2 score can take the wind out of a group of kids," Brandt said. "But these boys are a little different. They've been rising to the occasion. Every time, they're making improvements."

Dylan Levitt was 3-0 in singles, and Ballard went 2-1 in singles for Palo Verde.

Mike Safbom and Sam Soderborg were 3-0 in doubles, and Davis Waid and Brandon Sulzberg were 2-1 in doubles for the Panthers.

"Mike and Sam was a change we made, too," Brandt said. "Mike can carry someone in doubles, but Sam really held his own today."

Aaron Bailey was 2-1 in singles, and Cole Davidson and Lucas Hammond were 2-1 in doubles for Gorman.

GIRLS

Most coaches are thrilled when their teams win a region title.

Bishop Gorman's Gordon Hammond was happy, but not exactly giddy after watching his team sweep the nine doubles sets and top arch-rival Palo Verde 12-6 in the Sunset final.

The Gaels (10-2) will play in the state tournament, which begins Oct. 22. Palo Verde (12-1) was playing without two starters Friday due to illness and a commitment to an out-of-state tournament and will face Green Valley in a play-in match on Oct. 20.

"It still counts. It's nice to win," Hammond said. "It's sort of a pleasant surprise, but we're not too excited. What matters, really, is what happens at state."

Hammond put many of his stronger players in doubles Friday, altering his lineup after losing twice to the Panthers in the regular season.

The teams of Angelique Friedrich and Sofia Nuno, Monika Ryan and Jade Mayweather, and Emma Figueredo and Olivia Maalouf all went 3-0 for Gorman.

"All of those girls have been practicing a lot of doubles," Hammond said. "We've been getting these kids as much doubles experience as we can get them."

Amber Del Rosario was 2-1 in singles for the Gaels, who led 9-3 after two rounds.

"That's nice to have her in that situation," Hammond said. "You just know she's going to get the job done."

Chloe Henderson was 3-0 in singles, and Kristen Newell went 2-1 in singles for Palo Verde.