The Whitehall boys tennis season was marked by some strong play throughout the year as they introduced a lot of young players onto the varsity stage.

With only two seniors on their roster, they had to deal with a young team that needed to gain experience by simply getting their feet wet.

They defied some local prognosticators preseason predictions that rendered them in the basement of the Lehigh Valley Conference. However, the team showed they had a lot of fight and weren't defined by someone else's expectations, winning three matches to finish the year at 3-12.

Head coach Alex Berg said this season's success should provide a good foundation as they look toward 2015.

"I'm optimistic about next year," said Berg who completed his third season as the skipper.

He's not alone in that assessment. Berg said that while at their annual banquet, coaches from around the conference said they could be a dangerous team next year.

"I'm just hoping to live up to those expectations," he said.

He also said that the players demonstrated their commitment to the program and he's hopeful they all return next year to build on what they started.

The Zephs lose seniors Harshal Patel and Tejwant Gomanie. Berg said that Patel was the recipient of the Zephyr Award, given to the outstanding senior. Berg said that Patel continued to improve since he stepped onto the court as a junior, and was solidly entrenched on their No. 4 doubles team.

"He gave it his all, and was a great leader for us," said Berg.

With just Patel gone from their varsity roster, the Zephs have a good chance to meet those expectations, or even exceed them.

Returning will be No. 1 singles player Islam Ahmed, along with No. 2 player Alexander Rohn, as well as No. 3 singles Gavin Meyers. Each player had their share of wins throughout the season, with Ahmed and Rohn advancing past the first round in the Lehigh Valley Conference playoffs this season.

Meyers also proved to be productive from No. 3, winning numerous matches during the course of the season.

They also return No. 2 doubles Reno Honzo-Vassa and Max Nuscher, as well as No. 3 players Daniel Herrera Acevedo and Jordan Saliby. Finally, No. 4 player Hazem Abdelaal returns as well.

Additionally, they return Toby Chan, Rohit Gangupantulu, Ivan Kok, Alec Kulp, Clement Mei and Daniel Rodrigues.

As they close the book on this season, Berg said that their upcoming success hinges on a few factors. He said he wants to see them blossom into players who know how to win. Too often they had trouble winning points during critical stretches and he wants to see them turn those 6-4 losses into 6-4 wins.

If they can accomplish some consistency and make that two-game turnaround in half their games next season, they'll far surpass anyone's expectations. He's excited about the possibilities.

"If we can turn those into wins, then we'll get some product out of all the work that's put in," he said.