The Bryan County High School tennis teams just began their season. Coach Karen Lynn said both teams look to improve this year. Region wins over Claxton this week show that they are headed in the right direction.

This year’s squads feature many new faces mixed in with some familiar ones from last year.

"The entire boys’ team will have a different look this year," Lynn said. "There will be new faces in every position. The girls’ team will also have some changes, but Alex Rud and Kayla Koskela will add some stability as they return to play singles for us again this year."

There were some key losses due to graduation that saw all three boys singles players depart along with one doubles player. Graduation took away two singles players from the girls side as well.

"I believe our biggest weakness will be our lack of experience and our greatest strengths will be the players’ attitudes and their willingness to work hard to try and get better every day. It is my hope that in spite of our youth we can be competitive and see improvement every time we play, "added Lynn.

The season kicked off on Feb. 18 at home against non-region Liberty County. The girls lost 3-2 and the boys went down in all five matches, 5-0.

"Taylor Stanfield did a good job as the No. 3 singles player and Jamie Lape and Chelsea Gallo also did a good job with their win as the No. 1 doubles duo," Lynn said. "The boys played hard, but it was a disappointing day for them."

The Claxton Tigers came to the BCHS courts on Tuesday, Feb. 23 for a region match. The young, fairly inexperienced netters of Bryan County High took care of business as the girls won 4-1.

Koskela, Stanfield and Gallo each won their singles matches. Lauren Martin and Megan Taylor won their doubles match.

The boys showed some improvement as they also went 4-1 on the day. Jeremy Ennis and Eric Morgan won their singles matches and Travis Herndon and Phillip Sapp teamed up for a win in their doubles match.

Lynn said she is optimistic but Region 3A is tough this year, especially when you factor in region powerhouses Savannah Country Day, Calvary and Savannah Christian.

The next two matches for Bryan County will be March 9 at Liberty County and Savannah Christian comes to Pembroke on March 10 for a 3:30 p.m. contest.