EPHRATA — Despite crisp winds, the Ephrata Tigers boys and girls tennis squads were focused Monday on preparing for the upcoming season on the court. Both teams have a mix of returning players and newcomers giving them seasoned and raw talent to pull from, the coaches said.

Both squads had a decent turnout this year, Girls Tennis Coach Michael Bosnar and Boys Coach Greg Becker said. Both had high hopes for the season with a mix of skill levels coming onto their respective teams, with a load of potential in the younger players coming on board.

Girls squad

Bosnar, in his first year coaching the Tigers, said 31 young women came out for the team and he’s focused on fundamentals to get the team ready for competition. He’s been impressed with how the team is coming together to support one another and mentor each other. Last year saw several experienced players graduate, but this year’s younger players have been enthusiastic.

“I’m really excited,” Bosnar said. “We have a lot of new underclassmen that are showing a lot of promise. We’ve definitely got a lot of work cut out for us, but we’re going to be focusing a lot on fundamentals and everything. We’re taking it back, and I’m really glad we have a lot of very young teams here, especially on varsity.”

The younger players have raw talent with a lot of growth potential, he said. The fundamental work is focusing on making sure the players have a variety of swings in their proverbial toolbox to compete with. He wants the team to all have strong serving, backhand, forehand and overall volleying skills. That requires a mix of swing and footwork development.

“Make sure kids are positioning right, getting the right footwork, and then also making sure they have the correct form,” he said. “So, we’re going to spend a lot of time at the beginning of the season working on that, so that we can show up for the rest of the season really competitively.”

The girls players were putting Bosnar’s words into action during Monday’s practice. A variety of drills in intentionally directing the ball where they want it to go, changing position on the court with strong footwork and volleying the ball back across the net were in progress. Athletes rotated across stations with smiles on their faces and up-tempo music playing to keep the energy level up.

Boys squad

Becker said he’s excited about what the season has ahead for the Tigers as well. He’s got two returning players, Mitch Morford and Avery Morris, who he sees as having both leadership potential and a high level of competitive drive and skill.

“It looks like they’re both lining up right now to be my singles players, with Avery probably in the number one spot. They’ve got all season to play against each other; they’re pretty evenly matched.”

Becker said it was obvious to him that Morris had been practicing during the offseason to build up his skills. Morris’ form is solid and his expertise on the court has remained constant and not flagged between last spring and this season.

He characterized Morford as a good leader and someone who takes practices seriously. Morford is a natural athlete who’s always been powerful, Becker said.

“Sometimes, just rockets come off of his racket,” Becker said.

Both players should anchor the 15-player-deep boys squad and help everyone succeed on the court.

“Both of them, I hope to have pretty good seasons, and hopefully some good postseasons,” he said.

During Monday’s practice, the boys team could be seen running drills but also stopping during the drills to talk about what was going well and what could be improved. On multiple courts, more experienced players were talking across the net to provide tips on serving, footwork and ball control. That was especially noticeable in interactions between doubles players.

On the doubles side, Becker said he’s got some players who are greener than on the singles side, but he’s hopeful they’ll develop as the season progresses.

“My doubles teams are a little bit less seasoned,” Becker said. “They all have this kind of natural athletic ability; it’s just kind of shaping them into players.”

It’s all about potential, he said.

“We’re not starting off the season with as many ready (for competition), but I feel like there’s a lot of potential to build the team up and just (keep) getting better,” he said.

    Gavin Somes returns a volley during practice Monday at Ephrata High School’s tennis courts.
  

    Mitch Morford participates in practice Monday afternoon. Morford is one of two players coach Greg Becker is returning strong this year. As a senior, this will be Morford’s last season with the Tigers.
  

    Jillian Linehan participates in a footwork and volley drill during Monday’s practice. The Ephrata Tigers have their first match on the court Tuesday in Chelan.
  

    Yamilet Anaya Hernandez stops a ball at the net before running to the back of the court during drills Monday.