There will be open competition for starting spots as the Rochelle boys tennis team prepares to serve up the 2020 season over the next few weeks.
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ROCHELLE — There will be open competition for starting spots as the Rochelle boys tennis team prepares to serve up the 2020 season over the next few weeks.
The Hubs held their first practice Monday afternoon, and the team will have about four weeks to gear up for its season-opener at the Rock Island Invitational on Saturday, March 28. Rochelle will be looking to replace six seniors who earned varsity reps this past season.
“It’s pretty exciting to get the new season underway,” head coach Kristy Eckardt said. “We have a lot of new faces, which is great because I was worried about losing six seniors. I’m hoping the kids stick with the program, and the new conference will provide us with some new opportunities and challenges this season.”
Notable returning players include senior Sean Flanagan and sophomore Jason Zheng, who closed out the 2019 campaign as Rochelle’s No. 1 and No. 2 varsity singles netters. The Hubs are seeking to reload their doubles pairs this spring, and a few early candidates for starting spots are seniors Gabriel Nava and Carlos Nambo. Eckardt said that freshman David Wanner will likely find a varsity role this season as well.
“Leadership will be really important for our team this season,” Eckardt said. “A lot of these kids have never played tennis before, so it’s important that our returning players teach them and show them how to act and represent our school. I think we saw a lot of the kids improve over the summer, and it’ll be nice to see them put that work into action this year.”
The 2020 season will be Rochelle’s first as a member of the Interstate 8 Conference. The Hubs are aiming to continue the momentum they built during the end of the 2019 season, where they won four of their final seven matches. Rochelle will also try for its first victory in conference play since 2018, as the Hubs went winless in the Northern Illinois Big 12 last year.
“We want to be competitive and we want the ability to win every match,” Eckardt said. “We play against quite a few good teams this year. We want to improve every day.”
