Panthers boys, girls stay humble

Among high school girls tennis programs, Palo Verde stands alone.

The Panthers went undefeated en route to the state championship last year, and it wasn’t much of a surprise. So little so that when coach Zach Brandt was asked if he expects state titles, he answered “yes,” with no elaboration.

Now in his 16th season, Brandt said he’s just being realistic and not arrogant. The program is at a point in which state tournament appearances are expected.

“It’s fun to always be in some form of a championship match,” Brandt said. “We’ve always been in both (regional and state) since I’ve taken over. It’s fun to know.”

“I’m definitely blessed to be the coach there.”

Tennis is different from the typical high school team sport. There exists the possibility of a loss, no matter how talented a football or baseball or basketball team is. But with tennis, high-level players train at academies and travel to hone their craft. They often meet inexperienced players who are no match for Palo Verde players with Division I hopes.

“There’s only certain pockets of talent where kids play tennis,” Brandt said.

Palo Verde’s depth is so vast that it can lose two of its top players and still be considered the state title favorite this season. Chloe Henderson graduated, and her sister Sophie is sitting out the season to focus on her personal training and academics.

The sisters won the doubles state title last year, and even without them, the team will return four 2015 all-state players.

“The girls team is definitely balanced — we don’t have a rock star at the top that we did with Chloe and Sophie,” Brandt said. “So now some new kids will be in some new roles.”

The expectation of state titles exists on the boys team, too. So when the boys lost in what Brandt called the “tennis version of overtime (essentially going out and playing another set),” it was a disappointment.

“Last year was a bit of a letdown, because you always want to win the title,” Brandt said. “But then Dylan (Levitt) won singles championships.”

Levitt won his second state title in his junior year last season, also nabbing the championship in his freshman year in 2013. He returns this season along with fellow 2015 all-state player Mike Safbom to anchor a squad that again has high hopes.

For both teams, it’s not easy to make sure the players don’t get overconfident. They know the history of the programs and know their coach’s expectations. So it’s up to Brandt to balance confidence and arrogance.

“I try to keep them as humble as possible,” he said. “We think about it so we can work on it every day. You want to have a state-level mentality, you want to have a state-level serve and a state-level forehand to get to that championship level. ”

But Brandt doesn’t want the mental edge to go away entirely. Tennis is a mental game, and it can get lonely when a player is on the court by himself. So when the Panthers take the court this fall, expect a team brimming with confidence that knows what it takes to win.

“I want them to have that ability to have that swagger when they come on the court,” Brandt said. “It might be confidence, but it’s also a mental tactic.”

Justin Emerson can be reached at jemerson@reviewjournal.com. Follow on Twitter: @J15Emerson.