Southwest Wake Athletic Conference boys tennis preview

Green Hope has had a tight grip on the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference for years, and this year’s team may have the best shot of any at reaching the 4A championship.

Green Hope (18-1, 14-0): The Falcons’ only loss last year came to eventual state champ Wakefield in the third round, giving the Wolverines their most competitive match of the year. Juniors Ashwyn Inala, Ben Wayand and Rohit Ghotkar and seniors Matt Whitney, George Edwards and Eshaan Javalkar lead the way.

Panther Creek (11-4, 10-3): The Catamounts are led by sophomore Sidd Pal, a regional qualifier in singles, and junior Aditya Kakka and senior Nadir Bajwa.

Middle Creek (9-5, 9-5): The Mustangs’ best finish in league history starts with senior Nick Stachowiak, the two-time 4A singles champion who has never lost a high school match in singles or doubles. The Duke recruit missed his sophomore year with a back injury. Junior Grant McGrew was a regional qualifier in singles.

Holly Springs (9-5, 9-5): The Golden Hawks have seniors Grant Miller, a regional qualifier in doubles, and Chris Gold.

Cary (6-8, 6-7*): Cary returns sophomore Lawrence Friedland who was a regional qualifier in singles. The Imps were young last year but return most of their team including seniors Cameron Friedland and Kyle Morgenstein, juniors Dylan Ramey and Noah Jabusch and sophomores Dane Hunt and Ryan Coman.

(Fuquay-Varina 4-10, 3-10): The Bengals were much improved and have three-year starters in Everitt Dershen, Ian Dershen and Curtis and Nolan Brugler.

Athens Drive (2-12, 2-12): The Jaguars are led by senior Andreas Combos, a regional qualifier in doubles.

Apex (1-12, 1-12*): Ani Iyer could start at No. 1 singles. Five seniors return to the team, but four freshmen could compete for spots.

Apex Friendship: The first-year Patriots are coached by Bob Musser.

*Not all teams were able to play all 14 conference matches.

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Southwest Wake Athletic Conference boys tennis preview."