By BOB SNELL
The Progress
The numbers are up and so is the optimism surrounding the boys and girls tennis program at Virgin Valley High School.
The Bulldogs currently have 28 athletes – 17 boys and 11 girls – vying for spots on the courts for the upcoming season.
“Our numbers are up from last year,” said VVHS head coach Gavin Coburn. “We have a good group coming back that played for us last year. We also have several freshmen out which is encouraging.”
Entering his second season as head coach, Coburn is pleased with the level his players are at now, as opposed to a year ago.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement,” Coburn said. “Last year was the first time some of these kids have played tennis. They have improved significantly. It’s fun to see the progress they’ve made.”
Brynn Andrus is the top returning player on the girls side. The junior was in the top eight of the 3A Southern region last season in singles play.
“Brynn has been a solid player since her freshman year,” Coburn said. “We’re hoping she can get into the top four and qualify for state.”
The top two girls doubles teams of Sydney Anderson and McKadie Cowley along with Sadie Cowley and Shari Brumaghin will also return.
On the boys side, seniors Angel Garcia and T.J. Guerrero, junior Connor Wilson and sophomore Lincoln Toone head the list of returning singles players. Ben Nelson and Jacob Hafen are the top doubles pairing returning.
“We may have to pair up some of these players for doubles,” Coburn said. “We’ll have to see what happens during practices.”
The Meadows School of Las Vegas will be the top team to beat again in the 3A South this season according to Coburn, along with Boulder City and Moapa Valley. VVHS finished fourth behind those schools last season.
“I’m hoping we can beat some of those teams and finish in the top two which would qualify our team for state,” Coburn said.
Virgin Valley will open its season on Monday, August 22 at Moapa Valley in Overton. The first home match will be against Boulder City on August 24 at 3 p.m. on the VVHS courts.
“I feel we’re in a better position starting the season than we were last year,” Coburn said. “I’m excited.”
VVHS Tennis 2022 Season Schedule
Aug 22 3 PM Moapa Valley
Aug 24 3 PM Boulder City
Aug 29 3 PM Pahrump
Aug 31 3:30 3 PM Sunrise Mountain
Sep 06 3 PM Canyon Springs
Sep 08 3 PM Cheyenne
Sep 12 3 PM Coral Academy
Sep 14 3 PM Western
Sep 20 3 PM Meadows
Sep 22 3 PM Moapa Valley
Sep 29 3 PM Adelson
Oct 03 3 PM Mater East
Oct 06 3 PM Mojave
Oct 10-15 Team Regionals
Oct 17-22 Individual Regionals
Oct 27-29 State Championship North
Home games in bold
Schedule subject to change without notice
