SUNSET TENNIS: Palo Verde girls shake free of Gaels, return to state

Last season, Palo Verde beat Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Region girls tennis final only to lose to the Gaels in the Division I state final.

This year, the Panthers earned a bit of redemption against Gorman, beating the Gaels in dominant fashion in all three meetings, including Friday’s 14-4 victory at the Darling Tennis Center that gave Palo Verde its second straight region title.

Chloe Henderson and Annie Walker each went 3-0 in singles and Sophie Henderson and Abby Lewis went 3-0 in doubles for the Panthers, who swept all six second-round matches against Gorman and have yet to lose this season.

“It’s awesome to put in all the work for the season and finally see the results because the past two years we lost to Gorman and we finally got the chance to beat them,” said Chloe Henderson, a junior who is undefeated in singles and doubles in her high school career.

Henderson, a two-time defending state doubles champion who won with her younger sister Sophie last year, likes Palo Verde’s chances to win state this season.

“I think we’re looking pretty good,” she said. “We have a lot of unity. We’re all really close to each other, and it helps on the court.”

Kristen Newell went 2-1 in singles, losing for only the second time this season to Amber Del Rosario.

Michaela Jackson and Alissa Till went 2-1 in doubles for the Panthers. Zoe Lier and Lauren Willmore went 2-1 in doubles for the Gaels.

“These girls worked so hard all year long. I’m so happy to see them pull it out, especially against Gorman,” Palo Verde coach Jane Centrella said. “It seems like we’re always playing against them.”

The Panthers won’t face the Gaels at state this season, when two teams from Northern Nevada advance.

“I think our chances (to win state) are excellent,” Centrella said. “We have some solid players who are playing their best right now.”

BOYS

Rhett Bossung went 3-0 in singles, and Conor Safbom and Brandon Sulzberg went 3-0 in doubles to lead Palo Verde to a 12-6 victory over Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Region boys tennis final Friday night at Darling Tennis Center.

Danny Patho went 2-1 in singles, and Teijiro Nishimura and Kota Cook went 2-1 in doubles for the Panthers, who stayed perfect on the season while beating the Gaels in the region final for the second straight year.

Palo Verde lost to Coronado at state the last two seasons and is gunning for its first state title since 2010.

“We’ve had a little bit of a drought, but maybe this will be the year,” Panthers coach Zach Brandt said. “Gorman is one of the toughest teams in town, and we get to play them three times, so it gets these guys better prepared.”

While Bossung delivered his usual strong performance, Brandt said several players came through with key wins Friday, including Ethan Ballard in singles and Sam Soderberg and Davis Waid in doubles.

“Everyone contributed,” Brandt said. “It’s just fun to see everybody come together and play well.”