GENEVA – Zach Evans saw it coming, but he was still caught a bit offguard.

Maureen Weiler had been the girls tennis coach at Geneva since 2000 and had hinted to Evans she was going to retire at the end of last season, leaving him in charge of the program.

Evans, who also is entering his second year coaching the Vikings’ boys tennis team, said it was a bit of a surprise to everyone, but he was put in a situation that he couldn’t and didn’t want to turn down.

“It was pretty interesting,” Evans said. “When [Maureen] decided to step down, it was more of, ‘Hey Zach, you’re taking over.’ I was like, ‘Oh, OK. Cool.’ It’s pretty nice, though, because we have a strong lineup returning from last year, and I would say things have worked out pretty well for it being my first year taking over.”

Although the graduation of three-time Kane County Chronicle Girls Tennis Player of the Year Kirby Einck leaves no easy spot to fill, the Vikings feel they have the perfect fit, who is more than up for the challenge.

Although somewhat overshadowed by Einck’s success, junior Grace Krueger will take over at No. 1 singles this season. Krueger has gone far from unnoticed, though, having qualified for the state tournament in each of her first two high school seasons.

Moving from her No. 2 singles spot to the Vikings’ go-to player will certainly provide a challenge, but Evans has seen the same fight, if not more, from Krueger since taking over and still holds high expectations for not just her, but the entire team.

“She’s still working really hard on a lot of different things,” Evans said. “I have full expectations that she’s going to go to state again this year. Hopefully she’ll make it a little further than last year, so it’s good for her to just keep improving. But she hasn’t let up at all over the summer which is good to see.”

But having a mentor like Einck over the last two years has not only made Krueger a better tennis player, but has put her in a place to take over the Geneva girls tennis program as a leader.

“It was really important for me to have her,” Krueger said of Einck. “She taught me how to be a good leader and to include everybody. She was a great leader and helped me with a lot of the things that I’ve become successful with since I’ve gotten here.”

Krueger won’t be the only Geneva player moving up into a new role. Madi Corda and Maddie Krafcisin will move into the No. 1 doubles slot, having played one step down at No. 2 last season.

The senior pair took second at the Upstate Eight Conference tournament last year, falling to St. Charles North, but has only added to the motivation of having a strong senior year.

“Senior year goal is to always get to state, so we’d love that chance,” said Corda, who joins Krueger as the team’s two captains. “(Krafcisin and I) have worked on technique a bunch because most of the girls we know we’re going up against this year played at No. 1 doubles last year and already have that experience. It definitely has amped things up for us, but we’re excited and know we can do it.”

Senior Liz Prendergast will take Krueger’s spot at No. 2 singles, while freshman duo Taylor Hayes and Grace Hahn will move into the No. 2 doubles slot. Evans said the two have surprised quite a few people since practices have started.

Evans has also quickly adjusted to the difference of coaching the boys team. He said he’s noticed one major difference that he said he thinks might make coaching the girls a bit easier at times.

“The intensity during the matches is much different,” Evans said. “I know that could be the case in girls versus boys sports, but in tennis, when you get angry, you usually play worse. So that works in the girls’ favor when they stay more calm, and it’s actually pretty nice.”

Expectations stay the same and high hopes certainly surround the Geneva tennis courts this season. With Evans coaching and experienced leaders like Krueger and Corda in tow, only time will tell how high the ceiling for this Vikings bunch will be.