The Capital City Cavaliers neared the school’s second team district title last season.
This year, new head coach Bob Roling and the boys tennis team are ready for another shot.
The Cavaliers finished last season 10-10 overall, but made it to the Class 2 District 5 championship dual.
“They didn’t do as well as they had hoped, for sure, in the individual districts, too,” Roling said. “The top two left, they were both strong players. So people are moving up and in a way we have a lot of holes and gaps to fill.”
For the first time in the program’s history, the Cavaliers will have to replace graduating seniors. Last season, Jonathan Dunville and Visshva Anto were the top two players in the Cavalier lineup leading a very young roster. This year, the Cavaliers have no seniors, but do return to the next four players from last year’s lineup.
“Those kids put in a pretty good offseason, so they’ve improved,” Roling said of his returners. “Based on that, I think we’re definitely going to be competitive.”
Sophomore Ethan McNutt returns for the Cavaliers and will take the No. 1 spot in the singles lineup.
“I was telling him, even some of the teams that are not too strong, they’ll come in with one player who’s pretty darn good,” Roling said. “So as a No. 1, you’re almost always going to be facing a pretty good player. … You kind of prepare your No. 1 for that, you’re not going to have an easy night so you have to be tough enough.”
Junior Trevor Vogt will move up to the No. 2 spot, while newcomer junior Isaiah Schnoebelen will take the third singles spot.
Sophomore Rahi Patel will take the No. 4 singles position, while junior Xander Schmid will be fifth and freshman Abhinav Pula is in the sixth spot.
Rounding out the Cavalier roster and fighting for lineup positions will be junior Elias Willmeno, freshman Dane Vogt and freshman Gaurang Mishra.
“All the kids are pretty hungry,” Roling said. “I’m just hoping my message to them sticks of always being respectful and kind and competing your tail off.”
Roling said he hasn’t made any big changes to team operations in his first season with the boys after coaching the Capital City girls tennis team through its first four seasons, including winning Capital City’s first team district title in fall 2022.
“You’re incorporating what you do and a lot of what we do with the girls,” Roling said. “I would say we’re amping up the drilling type of stuff rather than just going out and playing.”
The Cavaliers were originally scheduled to start the season Saturday against Edwardsville (Ill.) at Rock Bridge High School, but because of inclement weather, that triangular was postponed. Roling said he is hopeful the teams involved will find a good time to make up the missed matches.
“It’s a Rock Bridge initiated event, and Rock Bridge didn’t bring them because they were a fluff team, they are a tough team,” Roling said of Edwardsville. “… Last year, Edwardsville beat Capital City 9-0. So I was assuming we would go up there and it would be a tough match. I absolutely wanted that. We need tough matches. … Looks like we will be able to reschedule that triangular event with Hickman and Edwardsville.”
Instead, the Cavaliers will start the season today with a road matchup against Lebanon at 4:30 p.m. before their home debut Wednesday against Father Tolton at 4:30 p.m.
Capital City’s schedule stayed mostly the same from last year with tournament appearances in the Mid-Missouri Invitational on April 8, the Springfield Tournament on April 12 and the Waynesville Invitational on April 21.
“These are outstanding kids,” Roling said. “They really are character wise and academically. … A lot of things that are positive have been there.”