ROCKINGHAM — With the start of the new Richmond Senior High School boys’ tennis season set to begin this week, the Raiders will rely on a wealth of depth this spring.
Third-year head coach Jessica Covington noted that an experienced starting four players should help the team compete in singles and doubles matches.
Another thing she’s been pleased with early on is the team’s focus. The Raiders have spent much of the past year, even over the summer and winter months, working on their own to improve the team’s game.
Returning four starters from a season ago, the Raiders have a strong senior class that enters its fourth spring on the tennis court.
Seniors Matthew Burns, Ethan McDonald and Ty Murray will headline three of those top four spots. The other returning player who was a starter as a freshman is sophomore Jordan Jacobs.
Covington expects the four returners to battle it out each week to determine the Nos. 1-4 seeds for singles play.
Another benefit to the Raiders this spring is that the other five players on the team are also returners. While limited in their playing time against other schools last year, Covington will need two of them to step up to round out the six singles matches.
Gone this year are former foreign exchange students and starters Marcel Cantu and Thomas Kvapil, opening the door to two juniors and three sophomores to fill the void.
Those players include juniors Brent Humann and Will Whitley, along with sophomores Gavin Applewhite, Matthew Leggett and Billy West.
For the second consecutive season, Richmond will play against just Sandhills Athletic Conference opponents. The team will play Hoke County, Lee County, Pinecrest, Scotland and Union Pines high schools two times each.
Covington noted that the Raiders will be down two more matches than normal because Southern Lee High School isn’t fielding a team this spring.
A season ago, the Raiders finished with a 5-7 overall record. This year, both Covington and the players expect to be more competitive and finish near the top of the conference standings.
This past year, Burns, McDonald and Murray joined a travel tennis league. All three said how playing more frequently against tougher competition better prepared them for their senior season.
Another goal for the team is to have a strong run through the SAC tournament after the regular season and qualify for the 4A regionals. Richmond did not have anyone make the postseason last year.
Covington said the Raiders will use their first couple of matches to find the best doubles pairings, an area of the game that usually decides the winning team.
The Raiders will begin their season on Thursday on the road against Pinecrest. Singles matches will start at 4 p.m.
SEASON SCHEDULE: Click here for an updated season schedule for the Richmond boys’ tennis team.
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