It has been a rousing start for the Whitehall boys tennis team.

They are currently 6-1 and sit in fifth place in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Their only blemish was a tough 3-4 defeat at the hands of Freedom.

Freedom, a perennial league powerhouse, was a good barometer for the Zephyrs. Head coach Austin Berg said that he was anxious to see how his team would fare against the Patriots. They were the reigning district champs and still retained Ross Sonnenblick and Aidan Bodeo-Lomicky, who were instrumental in that win over Parkland for the district crown.

When No. 3 singles player Alex Rohn rebounded after dropping the opening set versus Ronak Desai to win in three sets, the window was open for the Zephs to pull out the match. And to have that win on their résumé would be a huge feather in their cap.

They were nearly at that point, too, said Berg. He said that they were up 5-2 in the first set at No. 2 doubles, but an injury to Daniel Herrera-Acevedo during the set forced them to juggle their lineup. They eventually lost that set in a tiebreaker 7-6 as well as the next set to spoil their plans of the upset.

While he characterized it as a heartbreaking loss, the fact that they had put themselves in position to win was a big step forward.

“That’s when I knew my team was for real,” said Berg. “We almost beat one of the better teams in the valley.”

Berg said that Alex Rohn’s ability to overcome that initial setback was what has set this year apart from the past. He said he fought and fought, realizing that he could beat his opponent if he believed in his ability to make shots and exploit Desai’s weaknesses. Rohn won the next two sets 7-5, 6-4.

Berg said that he responded once he knew that a win at No. 3 could be the key to victory.

“He came back and pushed it to that third set,” said Berg.

The Zephs also got wins at No. 3 doubles as Erik Poon and Jordan Saliby won 7-5, 6-2, while the No. 4 doubles pairing of Hazem Abdelaal and Nick Demjan won 6-4, 7-5.

Their latest win came against Pocono Mountain East. They defeated the Cardinals 5-2 last Friday.

In the match against PME, No. 1 singles player Jeremy Lim lost in three sets. He won the opener 7-5, but Tristen Boheim rallied to win the next two, 6-4, 6-4.

While Lim is still in the learning phase of holding down the No. 1 spot, the sophomore has been creating some history for Berg. Lim has three wins at No. 1 this season. It’s the first time Berg has had a No. 1 with three wins. Berg knows he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do.

“He’s going to get a lot more of them this season,” said Berg.

Berg said that Lim’s mentality is to keep fighting which has fueled his comebacks.

“That’s been a positive,” said Berg.

The Zephs then won the other two singles matches as Gavin Meyers won at No. 2, defeating Richard Trott 6-3, 6-2. At No. 3, Alex Rohn won in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.

Meyers has won every match with the exception of Freedom. Alex Rohn has only lost against Pleasant Valley. Those two have been consistent gobbling up victories which have helped lay the groundwork for this year’s success.

Berg also said that the No. 3 and No. 4 doubles teams are also undefeated this season. That’s another reason they’re at the top of the standings.

“The depth of our lineup is a strength for us,” said Berg. “We have a lot of players we can plug into a lot of different spots. That’s good to see.”

Their doubles teams also fared well against the Cardinals.

At No. 2 doubles, Max Nuscher and Nick Rohn toppled Shahid Abdulaziz and Connor Lilley, 6-1, 6-2, while the duo of Saliby and Poon defeated Deon Motilall and Logan Kubinski, 6-1, 6-3. At No. 4 doubles, Abdelaal and Demjan knocked out Dan Serfass and Jake Lombardino, 6-1, 6-1.

Finally, in an 8-game pro set, Josh Mallory and Clement Mei lost to the PME pairing of David Golil and Nic Brazzeau, 3-8.

Monday’s match against Stroudsburg was postponed, leaving the Zephs with a full schedule of games this week. If the weather cooperates, they’ll play Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.