While the rest of the spring sports have been idle up until this week, the Whitehall boys tennis team has been hard at work trying to capture their first victory.

They've come agonizingly close, losing to Allentown Central Catholic High School by just one set last week, and then followed that with another close match against Pen Argyl that resulted in another one-set defeat.

The match against the Green Knights saw them win second and third singles, with Islam Ahmed (7-6, 6-1) and Gavin Meyers (6-2, 6-0) turning in victories to give them a 3-1 advantage in singles play.

However, they just couldn't break through in their doubles matches, with Hazem Abdelaal and Toby Chan losing a tough three-setter to Bryce Bartolucci and Russ Hoover, 6-2, 5-7, 3-6. They wound up losing 3-2 to their Colonial League foes, while they lost 4-3 to ACC.

Head coach Austin Berg said that the match against the Green Knights wasn't part of their schedule, but was added at the last minute, leaving them shorthanded since some of their players had prior commitments on Saturday. That left them a little thin in their doubles pairings, but he still thought they could have pushed through and won that match. Additionally, they played at Pen Argyl which subjected them to the Colonial League format which features five matches, instead of the seven in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, to decide a winner.

Prior to those matches, the boys faced East Stroudsburg North and once again battled hard but lost to the Timberwolves, 2-5.

In that match, Meyers, playing at No. 3, prevailed in a tough three-setter. The sophomore had to overcome a 6-3 loss in the first set, and then rebounded to post 6-3, 7-6 wins in the next two sets to defeat Jeremy Perdomo.

Berg said that Meyers embodies what he's trying to emphasize this season, and that's the willingness to stay tough both mentally and physically when you step out on the court.

"It's what I try and keep telling my guys, you have to keep fighting through," said Berg.

Meyers demonstrated that competitive spirit by handling the pressure situations and finding a way to win.

"He understands how to fight and how to handle the pressure well," said Berg. "I was very proud of him in that match."

They also posted a win in No. 2 doubles as Max Nuscher and Daniel Herrera-Acevado ousted Joe Betro and Jed Canezal 6-3, 6-3.

Ahmed, who is playing No. 2 singles this year, also showed some of that fortitude in his match against Pen Argyl's Tyler Minnich, battling each point to take that first set, 7-6. He then stepped on the gas, winning the next set 6-1.

Berg said that Ahmed's been with him for four years, and he's been trying to instill in him how to win. Ahmed responded in the match against Minnich, fighting through the adversity and the pressure to win. Berg said the senior has the tools, especially a powerful stroke that can win some points, but needs to work on his consistency every time he steps on the court.

They got blanked 7-0 in their opener against Stroudsburg High School, leaving them winless in their first four games. Berg said that he's "disappointed," believing they should be .500 at this point. He felt that their matches against ESN and Pen Argyl were winnable, but they failed to fight through those pressure situations, and that's been holding them back.

That was especially true after leading the Green Knights 3-1, but they couldn't put away the points when they needed to against Pen Argyl.

Berg said that the team has improved every year since he's been the coach, and he still believes they can accomplish that goal this season.

"We've improved our record every year, and I was shooting for .500 in our first four games, so that's kind of been a disappointment," he said.

Still, he said his players are battling and they'll be ready when they take they court again.