The Jefferson City boys tennis team has spent a lot of time this preseason playing intra-squad challenge matches.
After four long weeks of practice, the Jays will finally get to face an opponent today when they host Camdenton at Washington Park. The dual is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.
"Throughout the past several weeks, we've just focused on hitting lots of tennis balls, getting back into that groove," Jays coach Henry Thompson said.
Jefferson City returns its top two singles players this year, with senior Joey Mendez at No. 1 and junior Karsten McMillan at No. 2. Mendez finished third in district singles last year and McMillan took third in district doubles.
Thompson expects the two to be leaders this season, both by example and vocally.
"Between them, they have five seasons combined of varsity tennis experience and have both been parts of some very talented teams," Thompson said. "We will be leaning on them to provide steady leadership for our newcomers and returners.
The Jays will boast a total of four seniors in their top six. Jarrod Henry is No. 3 at singles, while Josh Jay and Kyle Highfill are No. 4 and 6, respectively.
Thompson said all three will be critical to Jefferson City's success.
"The experience that each of them gained throughout the season last year will be critical for them," Thompson said. "They will each likely find themselves in tough matches this season, both singles and doubles. How they respond and rely on their past experiences will go a long way in determining how successful we will be."
Filling in at No. 5 is freshman Atul Krishnadas. His older sister, Athira Nambier, was a three-time district champion and state qualifier for the Lady Jays.
"I'm hoping that being around her success has fueled him to set goals for himself," Thompson said. " His best attribute is that he is very coachable. He will listen to anything you say and apply it."
In addition to losing two seniors from varsity last year, Thompson said the Jays will be without Jackson Meyer this season after suffering a knee injury. Meyer was the No. 4 singles player in 2016.
The Jays have several players on deck looking to get varsity experience with seniors Josh Sabala, Adam Walker, Jimmy Chen and Matt Kaiser, junior Tanner Haugen and sophomore Kyle Yungbluth.
Thompson said the challenge matches among those six have all been close and "there's not much that separates them."
"Each of them bring intensity, effort and focus to the table," Thompson said.
Last year, Mendez and McMillan were doubles partners early in the season and Henry and Highfill were paired late in the season in time for districts. That may not be the case this season.
"Last season, we played around with several different combinations as well and towards the end, felt like we finally found some combinations that gave us the best chance to be successful," Thompson said. "That's what we will look to do again."
Once again, the Jays were placed in the same district as defending state champion Rock Bridge. The Jays finished runner-up as a team last season to the Bruins and Rock Bridge also advanced the district's top two in singles and doubles.
"One thing we do try to do to prepare our kids for teams like Rock Bridge is schedule other tough teams on our schedule, which we have done once again," Thompson said. "That's the only way teams improve - you have to be willing to schedule tough and play the best."