The Douglas boys' tennis team was able to push defending regional champ Reno late in match but the Huskies were able to pull out an 11-7 win in Minden Tuesday afternoon.
Garon Athanacio and Craig Stratton played as a doubles team for the first time this season and picked up the Tigers only win, a 7-5 decision in the first round, before the outcome of the match had been decided.
After that, Douglas swept the final round, getting an additional win from Athanacio and Stratton and wins from Marco Gooding, Austin Ball, Keaton Peters and the doubles teams of Matt Thomas-Pat Johnson and Grant Mason-Shane Patton.
"Reno showed us why they are still the class of the region," Douglas coach Rod Smith said. "Their starting nine is rock solid.
"The big takeaway from this early season loss to one of the elite teams is that it shows our guys how high the bar is set. We will need to work harder and smarter if we want to meet them again. Hopefully that will happen at the end of the year in the playoffs."
GIRLS
Douglas ran into a wall against regional favorite Reno High Tuesday, losing 15-3.
Reno freshman Elissa Pavalea came up with upset wins over both Amelia Ritger and Kari TenBroeck to establish herself as a contender for this year's regional title.
Ritger had a pair of wins for Douglas, including a 6-0 win over Reno's No. 1 player Shelly Tone, and TenBroeck had Douglas' other point with a win over Katie Gardner.
"This Reno team is the strongest girls tennis team we have seen in four years," Douglas coach Roger Rusmisel said. "They have three freshmen players who came in with tournament experience and success similar to that of Amelia and Kari."
Rusmisel noted the play of Rose Lombino and Marissa Menicucci for fighting through a tough final set before eventually falling 7-5.
"Their play has improved each match and they look to be strong contributors to the team through the remainder of the season."
