This week Owatonna Boys Tennis began their competitive season against the Waseca Bluejays. Owatonna took the victory in their first match of the season with a final score of 7-0, meaning everyone on the varsity squad won their individual matches. The next boys tennis event is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 at Red Wing.

The boys tennis team lost some starters to last year’s graduating class. Head coach Curt Matejcek said, “We finished fourth last year in our section, and we plan to match that this year, if not do better. We have some young talent filling in for last year’s seniors, however, it may take a few matches for them to adjust to the varsity level.” With the talent they already have, the next step is to continue with hard work.

Returning to the team is senior captain Daniel Keller. He has lettered in tennis every year since his freshman season and competed for the varsity during his sophomore season. Unfortunately, last year he suffered a broken wrist, preventing him from competing. He believes his role as a captain this year is to provide guidance to the younger players to prepare for upcoming year. Keller says, “I think it’s a goal of ours to achieve at least a third place spot in our conference because we are playing with some tough teams. In our section, we think we can make it to the quarterfinals, and give it our best shot from there.”

Go watch Keller and his co-captains Derek Thada and Eden Mrozek lead their team to victory Saturday, April 12 in Red Wing. Go Huskies!