With a very strong team this year, boys tennis hopes to place in the top five at state, head varsity coach Bill Wham said. The team has lots of potential if it continues to play to its ability.

“This is one of the tightest teams I’ve coached in 25 years,” Wham said. “We have done well because of our depth.”

The team’s strengths lies in the singles players, Dominic Cuchran ‘21, Ryan Cahill ‘21, and Max O’Malley ‘19, Wham said. He hopes to grow the doubles to be as strong as possible to further the ability of the team at the state tournament.

“We probably have one of the best singles lineups in the state,” Cuchran said. “I think some of the experience from our juniors and seniors will give us a chance to make a deep run at state.”

Practice takes place after school on the SC tennis courts, Wham said. A typical practice includes working on groundstrokes, volleys, overhead hits and simulating match play. A technique the team often uses is setting a fake score to replicate close matches and practice high intensity situations. This prepares them for potential scenarios in a match.

“The senior class is the deepest combined with an extremely experienced sophomore class,” Xander Allison ‘19 said. “Our coach has made it clear that we have the potential to go far and that the team is very talented.”

The team is very solid this year, Wham said. He remains confident in the team’s preparation and their execution. He hopes to continue this for state.

As of May 8, the team’s record is 7-2 in dual meets and has taken first, second and third in weekend invitationals consisting of eight teams or more.

“As for us as a group we have a lot of team bonding when we aren’t playing,” Cuchran said. “Usually when it comes to practice we all hold each other accountable when it comes to work ethic and making sure we are all working on things that will benefit the team in the future.”

Since the players have known each other for a while, the team is very cohesive, Allison said. Despite many younger players, the team is like a small community with no divide and everyone gets along.

“Right now everyone has their goals for the end of the season on their minds,” Allison said. “We are focused on success at state and it makes for a really nice culture.”

IHSA State Finals take place May 23-25 at Buffalo Grove High School.