ROCHELLE — Kristy Eckardt didn’t have much to work with in her first season as head coach of the Hubs varsity tennis team last year. With several players picking up the sport for the first time, much of the season was spent teaching the fundamentals, and there weren’t very many wins to go around.

This year was a different story, however, as many of the players who were rookies last year returned to gain more experience. Eckardt said she saw improvements at both the varsity and the freshman/sophomore levels, and with only one senior (Bryan Garcia) leaving the program, the Rochelle coach is excited for the future of Hubs tennis.

“It was really encouraging to get our numbers up so we can start building our program,” Eckardt said. “Next year I expect more of the same. We just need to continue improving and getting to where we’re consistent with our general shot making and building up the strategy portion of the game. That just comes with time and experience.”

Rochelle’s varsity group finished with a 5-12 team record this year, while the freshman/sophomore team totaled a 1-12 record while placing seventh in the Northern Illinois Big 12 Conference. The varsity boys finished sixth at conference, with junior Noah Griffith (26-6) leading the charge. Griffith took second at No. 1 singles before landing in fourth at the IHSA Class 1A Sectional meet in Rockford to clinch a spot in the state tennis meet.

“He was a wonderful surprise this year,” Eckardt said. “We know he’s good and we knew he was good last year playing No. 1 singles as a sophomore, but to come out this year and win so much was a testament to his work and his maturity… When things got rough he knew he had the experience to come back and I think that was a huge deal for him this year.”

Junior Kevin Zheng returned to the varsity lineup at No. 2 singles after playing up as a sophomore last year. Zheng may not have won as much as Griffith, but his performances this year included a top-2 finish at the Freeport Varsity Invitational, and Eckardt said she is looking forward to coaching him one more year.

“His confidence improved a lot this year and he trusted his instincts a little bit more,” she said. “I’d like to see him build on that but I definitely think he took a big step there this year. He really understands tennis and he has the brain for it. It’s just a matter of getting his shots to adjust when needed.”

The Hubs will have one doubles spot to fill next season, while five players including juniors Jesus Nava, Ozzy Fulgencio, Tyler Nalley and sophomores Chris Jones, Hector Garcia and Juan Montemayor are all eligible to return. Freshmen Ben Hickey and Max Torres also picked up some varsity experience this season.

Eckardt rotated the doubles lineup throughout most of the year, and while she was happy to get more kids some exposure at the varsity level, she said she wants to see more consistency from the doubles players next year. Jones, Garcia and Montemayor are three players who Eckardt said have a chance to take a big leap next season.

“We struggled with absences, whether they were due to injuries or other conflicts, so we never really had a doubles team that played together very much,” Eckardt said. “I think Juan and Hector played together the most, but for everyone else it was a couple matches with one partner and a couple matches with another partner. We just need to find those right combinations and get that experience working together as a doubles team, and I think we saw that with the other teams we played.”

As the boys continue to gain experience, the expectations for more wins and a deep run through the postseason are both on the table. For Eckardt, she said the Hubs will have a chance to take advantage of some weaker competition next year, and she’s aiming to turn those opportunities into victories.

“It seemed like a lot of teams we played this year had seniors,” she said. “I think that gives up a little bit of a chance next year since a lot of those really good players are graduating and we’ll be able to hang in there a little bit better.”