Boys tennis: Ottawa, Streator ready their return to the courts

Ottawa

Coach: Matt Gross (21st season)

Top returning players: Ethan Cela, sr.; Karcin Hagi, sr.; Landen Thorson, sr.; Adam Gross, sr.; Sebastian Cabrera, sr.; Noah Gross, so.

Top new players: Owen Phillips, sr.; Alan Sifuentes, jr.; Rylan Salas, jr.; Logan Trettenero, jr.

Worth noting: The Pirates return a number of key players and talented newcomers to this year’s squad, but according to Coach Gross, where each netter will fit into the lineup is a bit of an unknown with weather not allowing much on-court competition for spots. He said he feels Cabrera, Hagi and Thorson will be battling for time at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while Cela, Sifuentes, Adam Gross, Noah Gross, Salas and either Hagi or Thorson will all be part of doubles teams.

“We haven’t had good enough weather for challenge matches to figure out our exact lineup,” Coach Gross said. “We are senior-heavy this year, and we’ll be counting on them to lead the way. Fortunately, we have a few underclassmen who have had success in the past who we will be counting on to play a prominent role this season. The guys have conference and state aspirations. We don’t have a great number of players, but the guys we have are good kids who are excited about doing well this spring.”

Ottawa was scheduled to open the season on Saturday at the Metamora Invite and is scheduled to open home play March 28 against Interstate 8 Conference opponent Morris at the Henderson-Guenther Courts.

Streator

Coach: Rob Beck (10th year, first since 2015)

Top returning players: Quinn Baker, jr.; Brenden Christensen, jr., Ryan Beck, so., Andrew Vogel, so.; Izak Gallik, jr.; Brad Minick, so.; Alex Gonzalez, jr.

Top new players: Tyler Barbee, so.; Delroy Jones, so.; Liam Martin, so.; Clayton Lehman, so.

Worth noting: The Bulldogs will have a young squad this season, with four juniors and seven sophomores on the roster for coach Rob Beck, who returns after guiding the varsity team from 2007-2015. Ryan Beck will move to the No. 1 singles spot — replacing two-time The Times Player of the Year Davey Rashid — after going 17-6 at No. 2 last season, while Baker will more than likely move up into a No. 1 doubles spot with a partner still to be determined. Vogel and Christensen both return at No. 1 doubles, and according to Coach Beck, “have spent a great deal of time in the summer and offseason preparing for this coming tennis season.”

“I am excited to see our teams progress this year,” Coach Beck said. “We are young, but many of these players have had a full year of varsity experience and know what is expected to get to the next level and what lies ahead of them. This year’s lineup is going to be fluid, as the players are learning their strengths. We have been practicing incredibly hard, and the team has been learning the game at a higher level. I am looking forward to a great season.”

Streator is scheduled to open its season Wednesday, March 29, with a trip to Limestone. The Bulldogs open their home season April 6 against Rochelle.