The Aberdeen Roncalli boys’ tennis team is ready for its season to begin and despite the wintry weather it won’t have to wait long.

The Cavaliers, who have their first matches of the season indoors tomorrow, return several experienced players that have high expectations this spring. However, the team will be under new leadership as Paige Hermanson begins her first season as the Cavaliers’ head coach. Hermanson has a background in tennis and wanted to get back into the sport she enjoys.

“I actually grew up playing out in Sturgis as a Scooper, and I played Flight 1 for a couple of years out there,” Hermanson said. “After that, I hadn’t really played much or had it on the mind too terribly much. But now that I’m in Aberdeen it’s been on my heart and on my mind to pick up the racket and try and get back in the game in some way, shape, or form. I feel blessed and fortunate that this is one of those opportunities.”

Hermanson’s opportunity includes taking over a program that placed eighth at state, as well as coaching three players that have state tournament experience. Roncalli returns state tourney qualifiers Cason Hellwig, Palmer Johnson, and Gannon May, as well as other players that are looking to step up.

“Cason Hellwig and Palmer Johnson certainly bring forth some leadership and experience from last year,” Hermanson said. “We’ve also got a couple of seniors, Jacob Bellefeuille and Sawyer Henrich, that don’t have as many years of experience, necessarily, but they are really making up any ‘lost time,’ and they’ve got some pretty high goals for the season as well.”

Hermanson says May, a sophomore, is bridging the gap down to the JV and junior high programs, helping to build a solid foundation for the future of Roncalli tennis.

While the Cavaliers return some veteran players, it is not without an unfortunate loss. Junior Landon Zikmund also qualified for state last season, but suffered an injury during the football season this past fall and will not suit up for the team this season. Hermanson said that despite the loss, Zikmund is still involved with the team.

“Honestly, we are blessed and fortunate to still have him and his presence on the team as the manager,” Hermanson said. “He’s just kind of helping me and Coach (John) Andersen get familiar with the crew and the school as we are both new to town in the last couple of years and new to the program. He is certainly a valuable asset to the team, as well, even though he can’t play.”

As far as the schedule is concerned, Hermanson says the team is not focused on one particular opponent, but on one match at a time.

“We’re keeping an open mind just because of scheduling,” Hermanson said. “We’re being flexible with that, but I would say there are no particular matches that we are really keeping our eyes on right now, besides our first matchup.”

Roncalli is slated to play Sioux Falls Christian and Harrisburg in duals that were originally scheduled at Harrisburg on Tuesday, but have been moved to Sioux Falls indoors on Monday because of the weather.

The wintry weather has not only caused the Cavaliers to be flexible with their schedule, but also with their practices as well.

“We’ve just had to be super flexible. We’ve been indoor on a court for the most part, (but) other than that we’re doing some indoor gym drills and exercises and trying to keep that on the docket as well,” Hermanson said. “(We’re) really just trying to keep getting to know these kids and how they learn and how they play.”

Hermanson also noted that keeping a racket in the players’ hands as much as possible helps keep the game of tennis on their minds so they are ready when the season begins.

Overall, Hermanson says the team’s expectations are to continue to improve and be on the podium at the end of the season.

“We’ve got a great group of guys that are really looking to make some serious improvements and continue just aiming for their potential for the season,” Hermanson said. “I know we’ve got a couple that really are looking for some podium places at the end of the season, and I think we’ve got some that are certainly capable of that as well. We’ve got our sights set high, and are doing what we can, with the weather and such, to get there.”