The Whitehall boys tennis team’s outlook for this season is definitely on the upswing since they return most of their roster from last season, and that could give their foes some woes in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference this year.

They finished last season 3-11. That was the same number of wins they had the previous year, and for head coach Austin Berg, that lateral move wasn’t what he envisioned once the 2015 season was over. He believes that number should increase this season. In his four-year tenure, he’s been able to guide the team steadily up the win column. He doesn’t foresee another repeat of that total as they embark on the 2016 season.

“I’ve never gone backward,” said Berg. “I really hope we go forward with wins this year.”

He said their goal is to be .500 or better.

The reason for the optimism lies in a number of factors. It begins with their experience. Of the 15 players they have on the roster this season, nine have varsity experience. A deeper look inside those numbers reveals that their first three singles will be all veterans, while their four doubles teams will most likely comprise at least one varsity returnee.

The second reason is their depth. With the addition of some strong newcomers who will be fighting for playing time in doubles, Berg feels they’ll be able to win some of those tossup matches that eluded them last season.

He said depth is what they lacked last season and he feels they’ve bolstered that this year. A few of their matches came down to that one crucial doubles match, and with the addition of some freshmen, combined with more experience from the returning cast, they may be able to win enough sets to tilt the match in their favor.

“That’s what was missing last season,” said Berg. “I feel we have more depth this year.”

Finally, they started to serve notice last season that Whitehall boys tennis is on the rise. They actually defeated Emmaus in two matches, something that had never been done during Berg’s time as head coach. They also were able to extend a number of their doubles matches to three sets, notably against Stroudsburg when both No. 2 and 3 doubles achieved that feat.

“I really think we’re going to be able to jump ahead this year,” said Berg.

Leading the way this year will be a strong senior cast. These players have logged a lot of court time during their careers, and their experience will lay the groundwork for this season. Those seniors are Alex Rohn, Max Nuscher, Daniel Herrera-Acevedo. Rohit Gangupantulu, and Clement Mei.

They also return juniors Gavin Meyers, Jordan Saliby and Hazem Abdelaal, while sophomores Jeremy Lim and Erik Poon will also be back to help the Zephs gain a foothold in the highly competitive EPC.

Berg said they’ll also unveil some newcomers who will provide some of that depth that will benefit them this season. Going to varsity this year will be freshman Nick Demjan, Nick Rohn, Joshua Mallory, and Stephen Swiezak, while sophomore Gabriel Fonseca is also on that list.

The No. 1 singles player this season will be Lim. Berg said that Lim won all his challenge matches, earning the top spot.

“He put in a lot of work during the offseason,” said Berg. “He came to me and said, he wants to be the No. 1 singles player, and he achieved that.”

Berg said that Lim’s hitting it harder this season and his pace is a lot better. His rise was expected this season, but to grab the No. 1 spot was certainly a testament to his drive.

Playing No. 2 singles will be Meyers. Meyers had a ton of success at No. 3 last season, and that should help the transition up the singles ladder. Berg said that Meyer’s has a very good cross court shot and is also very accurate, something that served him well last year.

Alex Rohn will play No. 3 singles this season, However, Berg said that the positioning among the top three is still fluid and can change based on challenge matches during the course of the season. Berg said that Rohn is very consistent when striking the ball.

At No. 2 doubles will be the familiar pairing of Nuscher and Herrera-Acevedo who played together a lot last season. That should give them a boost this year as they look to build on last year’s success.

“They know each other really well,” said Berg.

At No. 3 doubles will be Saliby and Nick Rohn. Last year Saliby played a lot with Lim and the two were very successful. This season he’ll be paired with the freshman Rohn and Berg expects them to gel as team.

Abdelaal and Demjan will be the No. 4 doubles team. Once again a vet gets paired with a newcomer. Berg said that Demjan has a lot of potential and has demonstrated that ability in their short time on the practice court this season. Abdelaal provides experience and a steady hand as they look to dominate among the three doubles pairings in the EPC.

Berg said that Poon is knocking on the door of that No. 4 team, and will be ready to step in if needed.

Mei and Gangupantulu will give them experienced substitutes when the need arises, while Swiezak and Mallory will provide depth.

The season begins March 14 when the Zephs host East Stroudsburg South.

Berg said he wishes the run-up to the season was a little longer, but they’ll be ready to play.