Pahrump Valley High School will have two singles players representing the Trojans at the state tennis tournament in Carson City after Chanel Anthony and Jace Eichner earned top-four finishes at Regionals. Anthony captured second place in girls’ singles, while Eichner finished fourth in boys’ singles during the three-day tournament at Bishop Gorman, held Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 15–17.
With the top four finishers advancing, Anthony and Eichner secured opportunities to continue their seasons at State this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23–24. Their performances led a Pahrump contingent that competed across all four regional brackets, with additional quarterfinal appearances by Ethan Johnson in boys’ singles and Milly Khandpur and Nyomi Skinner in girls’ doubles.
Anthony entered the girls’ singles tournament as the No. 2 seed and opened with a 6–0, 6–2 victory over Adelson’s Mila Richards. She followed with a 7–5, 6–3 quarterfinal win over seventh-seeded Merizza Fernando of American Heritage, securing her place in the semifinals and a state berth.
Anthony continued her run Saturday by defeating Boulder City’s third-seeded Abrina Soares 6–3, 6–1 to advance to the championship match. There, she faced top-seeded Allegra Weir of Adelson, who won 6–0, 6–0. Anthony finished the tournament with three straight-set victories and regional runner-up honors.
Aurora Bowers also represented Pahrump in girls’ singles, facing eighth-seeded Brooklyn Koster of Boulder City in the opening round. After dropping the first set 6–0, Bowers made the second set more competitive before Koster closed out the match 6–4.
In boys’ singles, fourth-seeded Eichner began with a 6–2, 6–0 win over Virgin Valley’s Connor Aughney. His quarterfinal against fifth-seeded Eli Grinvald of Adelson required three sets, with Eichner winning the opener 6–4 before Grinvald took the second 6–3. Eichner responded with a 6–2 victory in the deciding set, earning a semifinal appearance and qualifying for State.
Eichner faced top-seeded Jake Richards of Boulder City in the semifinals, falling 6–0, 6–0. In the third-place match, Boulder City’s Nathan Law won 6–0, 6–1, leaving Eichner with a fourth-place regional finish and a place among the state qualifiers.
Johnson added an opening-round victory for the Trojans, defeating eighth-seeded Parker Davies of Moapa Valley 6–2, 6–1. The win advanced Johnson to the quarterfinals against Richards, the eventual regional champion, who won their match 6–0, 6–0.
Bryce Dykstra also delivered a competitive opening-round performance against seventh-seeded Bryce Schrock of Boulder City. After Schrock took the first set in a tiebreak, 7–6 (1), Dykstra answered with a 6–4 second-set victory. Schrock won the deciding set 6–4 to advance.
In girls’ doubles, seventh-seeded Khandpur and Skinner opened with a 6–2, 6–3 victory over Virgin Valley’s Emma Martinez and Joy Son. Their quarterfinal brought a matchup with Boulder City’s second-seeded Quinn Gibson and Harmony Cook. Khandpur and Skinner took three games in the first set and four in the second before the eventual regional runners-up advanced 6–3, 6–4.
Pahrump’s Kimberly Hernandez and Sophia Mejia faced top-seeded Chelsie Larson and Lyla Gunson of Boulder City in the opening round. Larson and Gunson won 6–0, 6–0 and went on to claim the regional championship. Wendy Rodriguez and Lilly Gregory also competed for the Trojans, falling 6–2, 6–0 to fifth-seeded Hattie Blazzard and Brooke Zarate of Virgin Valley.
Three Pahrump partnerships competed in boys’ doubles. Brody Myers and Samson Wagner took four games in their opening set against Boulder City’s fifth-seeded Chase Herbolsheimer and Grady Crine before falling 6–4, 6–1. Taysom Christensen and Chase Hanson faced fourth-seeded Rishi Nagelly and Jackson Moll of Coral Academy, who advanced 6–1, 6–1. Ryland Abbiss and Jacob Harker met seventh-seeded Jack Wheeler and Austin Reese of Moapa Valley, falling 6–0, 6–0.
The regional tournament gave the Trojans opportunities to compete against Southern Nevada opponents, earn bracket victories and pursue state qualification. For Anthony and Eichner, that opportunity continues in Carson City, where they will represent Pahrump Valley on the state stage Oct. 23–24.
