Gaels ready to sweep state tennis tourney

By Sean Ammerman

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 | 12:12 a.m.

Palo Verde seniors Stan Breland and Brandon Parker took a break from being teammates Friday night at the Sunset Region tennis tournament.

The two held nothing back in the boys’ singles finals, which went three sets and lasted more than two and a half hours.

As Breland claimed victory 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, he limped off the court in exhaustion.

“I think today was just my day,” said Breland, who won the 2006 state singles title. “I like these kinds of challenging matches better because then I can see how far I can go. Brandon beat me last time we played in three sets so I was happy to get him this time.”

The girls’ finals between Bishop Gorman’s Sarah Toti and Bonanza’s Alison Matlovic started out competitive when the heavily favored Toti almost gave up her first set.

Toti rallied to win 7-6, 6-1, and earned her first region title.

“I felt much more consistent in the second set,” she said. “(Matlovic) was able to get a lot of my hard forehands back, which most people haven’t been able to do.”

Gorman’s Anita Lee and Sarah Bessen had only played doubles together once before the region tournament, but that didn’t seem to hurt their chemistry.

Lee and Bessen defeated Palo Verde’s Shelby Zepada and Nikki Booth 6-1, 6-1, in the doubles finals.

“We weren’t playing our best but I think we will get better before the state finals,” said Lee, who won the state singles championship last year.

Bessen added, “Each time we play together, we get closer.”

With a singles player and doubles team on a hot streak, the Gorman girls’ team looks to sweep the state championships by winning the singles, doubles and team tournaments.

“That would be a great goal for us and I think we could do it,” Toti said.

Bonanza’s Aashish Daulat and Andrew Whiting were so impressed with their 6-0, 6-2, win against Gorman’s Alec Thomas and Kyle Del Rosario in the boys’ doubles finals, they called it their best match as a team.

“I don’t think we missed a shot in the first set,” Whiting said. “After I hit three aces in the first game, I knew it would be a good day.”

Daulat and Whiting hope the strong play carries into the state tournament, where they look to win their second-straight doubles title.

“We know we can win,” Daulat said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

All winners and runners-up in the region tournaments get automatic berths in the state tournament, which begins next Friday in Carson City. The finals for third place were also held Friday. The third-place finishers in the Sunrise Region will face the third place finishers in the Sunset Region on Monday to determine the final berths into the state tournament.