Cruising into the 3A state tournament, both Boulder City High School tennis programs enter as the top seed, after winning the 3A Southern Region tournament.
Picking up a monumental 10-8 victory over Cimarron-Memorial on Oct. 10, the girls used a lineup change to power past the Spartans, who they beat on a tie-breaker earlier in the season.
“The first time we had to go to a tie-breaker, so it definitely feels better to win it this time outright,” head coach Rachelle Huxford said. “This time around, we balanced out the roster and moved players in places where we thought we could get enough points. This was a great win for their confidence. Coming into the season, we lost so many seniors last year and weren’t slated to do well. Going to the state tournament is a great accomplishment for them.”
Needing an extra point to win outright, the game to put senior doubles star Chayce Larson in singles paid off after she finished 1-2 on the day.
In their previous match with the Spartans, the Eagles didn’t earn any singles points.
“We moved Chayce over in hopes of getting a point in singles and she played like a rockstar,” Huxford said. “She’s such a versatile player. This team is willing to do what it takes to win as a team. They all want to play their part.”
Going undefeated in doubles play, the tandems of senior Maddie Morris and sophomore Brooklyn Koster finished 3-0, along with senior Ava Gibson and junior Mariah Torgesen.
Moving pieces around to avoid another tie-breaker, singles players junior Kendall Shamo and sophomore Chelsie Larson teamed together in doubles to finish 3-0.
Dominating Pahrump Valley in the Southern title match 13-5 on Oct. 10, juniors Bennet Forney and Logan Borg dominated singles play, each finishing 3-0.
“They’re both playing this year with a lot more confidence,” Huxford said. “They’ve been working hard and it’s been great to know that we can expect reliable points out of both of them. They have a few years under their belts now where the jitters aren’t there anymore.”
In doubles, senior Alec Imboden and junior Shane Barrow finished 3-0, while seniors Chandler Shamo and Carson Alder finished 2-1.
Sophomores Tate Crane and Branch Danko finished 1-0.
“The boys played them better than the regular season,” Huxford said. “It’s always nice to see improvement. They’re cleaning up their games and making less errors. The goal was to get to state and now we just have to continue to be successful.”
The 3A state tournament is scheduled for Oct. 24-26 at the Tahoe Donner Tennis and Pickleball Center in Truckee, Calif.