As the Whitehall boys tennis team winds down their regular season, they can look to some recent matches as building blocks for the future.

While wins have been hard to come by, the incremental steps the team has taken has started to show.

Peering inside their 1-10 record reveals a team that is winning games and matches, while also stretching their opponents to the brink, and for a young team that experience is crucial.

Last week they lost to Emmaus, 5-2. They stayed competitive throughout, forcing a third set in three of their doubles matches, while also winning a number of games in their singles competition.

"It's the first time I took a match from Emmaus in four years," said head coach Austin Berg.

Their two wins came at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. At No. 2, Daniel Herrera-Acevedo and Max Nuscher outlasted Cameron Widdoss and Darsh Patel 4-6, 7-5, 6-1. In No. 3 doubles, Jeremy Lim and Erik Poon had an epic battle with Eric Ma and Zhouhong He. They were able to bounce back from a first set tiebreaker loss to post back-to-back wins, defeating the pair 5-7, 6-4, 7-5.

Poon and Lim's win was a testament to resiliency and the sheer will to overcome adversity in taking the final set.

"It was a very intense match," said Berg. "It was probably one of the most exciting matches I've seen in the four years I've coached."

The Hornets entered the tournament 6-3, but the Zephs battled them the entire way, with Hazem Abdelaal and Toby Chan almost joining their doubles brethren in a three-set win, but ultimately losing 3-6, 6-3, 4-6.

Additionally, Izzy Ahmed at No. 2 singles gave Sanket Narayan a good tussle, but succumbed 3-6, 6-7.

The EPC held their championships this past weekend, and Berg said that their No. 2 doubles team of Herrara-Acevedo and Nuscher won their play-in game against Northampton, 8-5. However, they didn't advance any further.

At No. 2 singles, Ahmed lost his opening round match. While he was up 4-3, he eventually lost 8-4. Berg also said that their No. 4 doubles team of Abdelaal and Chan advanced to the second round after beating Pleasant Valley, but lost their next match to Nazareth.

Additionally, No. 3 singles player Gavin Meyers had what amounted to a rematch against Kyle Jaeger. He had faced the Hornet on April 16, losing 6-3, 6-2, and then faced him again in the opening round of the EPC tourney, losing 8-5. His ability to close the gap in just two days showed progress.

"He did a really good job in the match," said Berg. "I was really proud of him."

On Tuesday they faced Parkland who hasn't lost a league match in over a decade. That still held true this season as they entered the match with the Zephs at 12-0, and remained unblemished at the conclusion of the match, winning 7-0.

Still, Berg saw plenty of positives as his team was able to win games in every match except one.

"My guys worked their strategies and got some games on them," said Berg.

This week will also begin the District XI AAA singles tournament and Berg said that he's sending Ahmed who will be playing at No. 1 singles. The senior will face Parkland's Nate Lyman in the opening round on April 22 at Saucon Valley High School.