The Lady Oilers tennis team is expected to show improvement this season, head coach Gary Bittner said.

“I think we’re pretty locked in to what we need to do to be successful,” he said. “We may experiment with a few different lineups early, but it shouldn’t take us too long to get into a groove.”

Key losses from the 2018 team are Katie Gunder, Kayla Haas and Brianna Hickel.

However, the Lady Oilers also have returning talent, including senior Emily Ryan, who finished the season 34-1 and state singles runner-up.

Other key returning players are senior Zoe Potter, 20-10 in singles in 2018, and junior Jennah Jeffery, 6-22 in doubles.

“I think I have a hard working group that loves to play the game,” Bittner said.“It will be fun to watch the leadership of the older players and see the growth in the newcomers.”

Central Plains took fifth place at both regionals and state in 2018. The Lady Oilers’ first outing was Tuesday at the Ellsworth Invitational. The junior varsity plays today (Thursday) at Smoky Valley, Lindsborg.

“All of our tournaments are important,” Bittner said. “Each player needs to put in the necessary work and hit the ball with confidence. They also must be prepared for the challenges we will face.”

Joan Klug is assistant coach.