Vikings tennis looks to keep improving

Coach: Joel Santjer.

Last season: 5-13 overall, 7th in Mississippi 8.

Key returnees: Singles lineup.

Outlook: The North Branch boys tennis team enters the 2024 spring campaign with the idea of getting better each and every day.

“We’re a small team, we have a bunch of new guys out, and we’re learning and getting better and competing every time we are out there,” Santjer said. “That’s the idea and the goal we’re getting after and working towards.”

Due to high turnover from its 2023 senior class, the boys’ numbers are down this year. However, Santjer is optimistic that the underclassmen will be a huge part in the team’s growth.

The Vikings lost six seniors from last season’s roster, with just two seniors on the current roster in Gabe Wurdemann and Ben Rossini, both singles players. Santjer notes how a majority of the athletes who will be placed in the singles lineup this year will be the ultimate key elements toward the team’s success this season.

“We will lean on those guys quite a bit,” he said. “They’re all returning letter-winners, and they’ve all been playing tennis for a long time.”

Regarding his younger talent, Santjer said, “They’re learning their positions pretty well. It’s a matter of working to get those guys better and seeing what we can do to keep pushing them.”

Santjer says that he’s focused on two things this year: growth and competition. “We got some really good players, so we’re hoping to be fairly strong in the conference and in the section as well. But we’ll see what happens. We will see how some of those younger guys move into their positions.”

The biggest challenge this year, according to Santjer, is having multiple athletes play in brand-new positions.

“They’re going to have to push to be able to compete at those spots, especially the younger guys who are getting thrown in,” he said. “We had guys on the JV squad last year who all of a sudden moved up. But they’re learning and they’re resilient.”