It’s that time of year again.

Girls tennis will head to New Trier this weekend for the CSL conference meet, expecting a strong showing.

“Our goal is to place fourth,”said coach Joyce Anderson. “We have to get six positions to place fourth, and then possibly have one or two positions place third.”

Anderson added, “We always finish behind New Trier, GBS, and Maine South.” The Kits will look to attack some of the weaknesses of those schools by targeting their lower positions. “Generally, they have been very strong on top, so we have our best shot at the lower positions; three singles, three doubles, and fourth doubles,” explained Anderson.

“We have a tough conference, but our expectation as a team is for everyone to get a little bit further than last year,” added Jessica Ampel, junior. Last year was the Kits’ best performance over the past few years, having two positions place third.

Ampel and junior Abbey Moore are expected to be key players, occupying the top two positions for singles. Lily Dube and Izzy Aurichio, seniors, were expected to be key to the team’s hopes at advancing the lower positions at doubles, but Aurichio will miss the meet due to a college visit. Dube’s partner is currently undecided.

In order to be successful at conference, Anderson believes the team must follow the fundamentals. “We talk about process, playing smart, playing loose. If we do that, the girls will play their best.

Ampel agreed with Anderson’s view, saying “Sometimes I take it a little too seriously, but to play my best I have to relax and enjoy myself, so that’s what I’ll be trying to focus on.”

Beyond that, Anderson has very few concerns and is feeling good about the team. “The team is playing well and everyone is healthy,” she said. “We have a great group of athletes, they have natural hand-eye coordination and are really quick.”

Following the Hawk Invite on Sept. 20, the Kits had an easy 5-0 win at Regina before getting stomped by Maine South, losing 1-6. Despite the big loss, Anderson was able to draw some positives from the result. “Dube and Aurichio surprised us and beat Maine South at four doubles. Meghan Ter Molen almost beat them at three singles also.”

Last week, the Kits swept aside Woodlands Academy, Waukegan, and Lake Forest with big wins. Anderson was excited with the performances of a few players in these matches. “Rachel Clemens and Sam Mulica are peaking at the right time, and Ter Molen has kept improving after every match. They had good wins against Lake Forest.”