The Whitehall boys tennis team is on the right track, building a foundation game by game and match by match.

One look at the box scores of their latest round of matches would show an 0-4 record. Those losses included matches to Parkland, Pen Argyl, Northampton and Stroudsburg. However, the real story lies in what they've accomplished beyond the final results. It's part of their continued ascendancy under head coach Austin Berg.

Even though they lost 7-0 to the Trojans, they won 25 games, an incredible step given they weren't able to even win a game against their Lehigh Valley Conference neighbors when Berg took over the program. He said this year they've won games against Emmaus and Stroudsburg as well, teams that would routinely blank them across the board. However, they've shown the ability to win games and extend matches, a positive sign for the future.

"They're pushing," said Berg. "They're trying their best."

Berg knew it would be a daunting task to defeat the Trojans. They were a true juggernaut at 10-0. He said what he wanted to see from his team was to make them work and move their feet. They accomplished that goal to a large extent, taking the Trojans to three sets in No. 2 Doubles. Berg said he juggled hi line-up a bit, pairing Dan Herrera Acevedo and Max Nuscher at. No. 2. That tandem responded with a strong performance, eventually succumbing 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to L. Kim and T. Lichtenwalner.

Berg said they got great net play in that game as well as throughout the contest, allowing them to score some points and win a number of games.

"Those two played well, taking them to three sets," said Berg.

The also took games at No. 3 Doubles as Jordan Saliby and Hazem Abdelaal managed to take five games, losing 6-2, 6-3 to S. Rajkumar and C. Wang.

In No. 4 Doubles, Toby Chan and Harshal Patel won two games in their match with N. Hawk and J. Unjia, while Alec Kulp and Daniel Rodrigues were defeated in a pro set, 8-3.

In singles play, Gavin Meyers took a game from Peter Harrison, losing 6-1-6-0.

Berg said that Harrison has won nine matches this year in his role as a No. 3 singles player. Still, Meyers was able to make the Trojan work, fulfilling Berg's admonition of moving their opponent's feet.

Berg said their improvement has also been noticed by the competition, with a number of coaches remarking how competitive the Zephs have been this season. He said it's a good feeling when the effort of his players gets mentioned.

They also played well against the Green Knights, losing 5-2 to their Colonial League foes. That match featured wins at No. 2 Doubles as Reno Honzo-Vasso and Nuscher defeated Nick Fairchild and Anthony Polizzi 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.

They also won No. 3 Doubles as Herrera and Saliby teamed up to defeat Tyler Minnich and Andrew Maggipinto 6-3, 6-3.

At No. 1 Doubles, Clement Mei and Chan lost a close pro set, succumbing 7-8 to Russell Hoover and Jake Yuresko.

In singles, No. 2 Alex Rohn battled Oliver Blasi, eventually losing 6-1, 6-4.

In the Northampton match, the entire line-up won at least one game. They lost to their LVC counterparts, 6-1, but gave the Kids a tough battle on the hard court.

The win came at No. 2 singles as Meyers defeated Dave Wasilko 6-0, 6-2. Rohn had a strong performance at No. 1 taking Tyler Nicholas to extra sets in their second match, before finally losing 6-4, 7-6.

Additionally, Saliby played well at No. 3 singles winning five games, while Honzo-Vasso and Nuscher, the No. 2 pairing, took five games as well as they fell 6-4, 6-1 to Justin Burger and Andrew Szerencsits.

As the season winds down, Berg said he's anticipating a strong showing from his troops at the LVC tourney. With rain forecast for Tuesday, Berg said the tournament will be postponed. However, he's anxious to see how well his players will do, believing they'll emerge from a number of their match-ups with wins, allowing them to advance.

"I'm really looking forward to see if they can pull it out," said Berg.