Palo Verde sweeps 5A boys, girls tennis titles again
Palo Verde’s boys tennis team controlled the singles matches at Friday’s Class 5A state championship match. But a key doubles win late in the third round helped the Panthers claim the title.
The doubles team of Brady Coates and Keaton Bryan earned the clinching victory as the top-seeded Panthers grabbed their second straight title with an 11-7 win over No. 2 Coronado at Liberty.
The Panthers celebrated twice Friday, as the girls team, the top seed in the state tournament, rolled to a 13-5 win over No. 2 Bishop Gorman following the boys’ match.
“I’m very proud of them,” Palo Verde coach Tyler Marchant said of the boys. “For tennis being an individual sport, they really rallied around each other and were supporting each other there at the end when it came down to the wire.”
It’s the fourth straight state title, and eighth overall, for the Palo Verde girls. The Panthers swept both team titles last year.
“We have a lot of seniors that made it special,” Marchant said of the girls. “These seniors are the kids who came in right after COVID, they got robbed of their freshman year, but they were able to make the next few years worth it.”
Bronson Desisto and Nikola Dobrijevic each won all three of their singles matches for the Panthers, who won their 12th boys team title.
“It feels amazing to go back to back,” Desisto, a senior, said. “It’s been an honor. I love playing for this team. My teammates always support me. My coaches, it wouldn’t be possible without them. I’m just grateful.”
For the girls, Campbell Ricci and Remi Rice won both of their singles matches, and the doubles team of Venus Tang and Ruth Robinson won both of their matches.
“It’s exciting,” Ricci, a senior, said. “This team is great. The chemistry here is something special, which I really enjoyed.”
The 5A boys and girls singles and doubles individual state tournaments begin Monday, with all championship matches Oct. 20 at Gorman.
Class 5A is a Southern-only classification.
The 4A and 3A boys and girls state tournaments begin Oct. 26, with semifinals and state title matches Oct. 27.
In 4A, Foothill and The Meadows are the Southern boys team qualifiers for state, and Doral Academy and The Meadows qualified for the girls tournament. Both events will be held at Faith Lutheran.
In 3A, Boulder City and The Adelson School are the Southern boys team qualifiers for state, and Boulder City and Moapa Valley qualified for the girls tournament. Both events will be held at Gorman.
The 4A and 3A boys and girls singles and doubles individual state tournaments begin Oct. 27, with all state championship matches Oct. 28 at Faith Lutheran (4A) and Gorman (3A).
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
