Last year was not a great one on the local tennis courts. Only two players qualified for region while everyone else got an early jump on summer. This year, the local squads are hoping that will change. All three teams bring back plenty of experience and will mix in some new players as well. The Connally Cougars will also break in a new coach as Jane Lo takes over for Jack Alsup. With district matches right around the corner, here’s a look at how the teams shape up.

Connally Cougars

Head coach: Jane Lo

Last year: Mixed doubles team (Nhu Pham/James Ninh) reached regionals.

Returning: Nhu Pham, Soa-Jin Sher, Trenton Vo, Duy Vu, Nathan Pham, Justin Nguyen, Brian Dang, Nam Tran, Emily Ngo, Nina Duong, Lisa Tran and April Luu.

New faces: Cooper Bridges, Vu Nguyen, Ismail Cruz and Chris Nguyen.

Strengths: “Experience and enthusiasm,” Lo answered. “This is our year to go to regionals.”

Concerns: “We lost some great players from last year,” Lo said.

Hendrickson Hawks

Head coach: Aaron Holman

Last year: Fourth in district.

Returning: Six varsity boys, four varsity girls.

New faces: Junior Rios and Anthony Broccolo.

Strengths: Team unity and doubles,” Holman said.

Concerns: Depth.

Outlook: “Our success will be measured by our improvements over last year and as we improve over this year,” Holman added. “We have come a long way from last year and we are not even close to our ceiling.

Pflugerville Panthers

Head coach: James Sombathy

Last year: Fifth in district.

Returning:  Andrew Kogler, Lee Travis, Doug Wood, Derek Grass, Viet Phan, Miranda Hernandez and Yenna Nguyen.

New faces: Archie Diehl and Katie Canales.

Strengths: Two main strengths really stand out for me,” Sombathy said. “The first is team unity. This is a very close-knit squad. They really are one big family. They work together on all aspects of their game both during and after practice. It is a rare occassion when you can pass by our courts and NOT see a number of them playing together and helping each other out.”

“Our boys’ varsity team could literally go 12 deep,” Sombathy added. “The girls’ side is just as deep but very young, with only two seniors. They will definately be a powerful squad the next two seasons.

Concerns: “The youth of the girls is a concern,” Sombathy said. “They are very hard workers and are coming along fast, but the lack of varsity match play can be a concern.

Outlook: “The keys to success this year will be to keep the level of progression that we have seen over the summer,” Sombathy concluded. “With our depth we can weather some academic or injury related setbacks, but the real test here will be if the two squads can build upon what they have worked so hard on skill-wise.”