After a No. 1 state ranking, a fourth straight Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division title, and an anticlimactic season-ending Ohio Tennis Coaches Association district loss to Upper Arlington in 2009, the New Albany boys tennis team is rebounding with plans to win one match at a time again this season.

Key players Peter Kobelt and John Buell both graduated, and their talents will be missed. Kobelt was last year's Division I state singles champion, one of New Albany's all-time greatest players, and is currently on OSU's team.

But the good news is this year's squad remains experienced, strong, and ready to play yet another all-star schedule.

"I've got a really deep team," said Eagles coach Andy Sinclair. "This year all my guys got better. It's going to be close. We've got a lot of winning to do.

"All seven of my top guys qualified for the districts last year. Kobelt and Buell are gone, but (John) Hendrix looks to move into the starting lineup. And that leaves about four other guys competing for that other spot."

The Eagles' lineup includes seniors Riyad Bennoui, Ryan McNutt, and Nate Williams, juniors Hendrix, Sam Romanoff, and Sean Yun, and sophomores Oliver Sybert, Jordan Rabe, Ameen Farwana, and Julian Judge.

Returning player Riyad Bennoui is a force to reckon with this season. At the same time adding to the team's depth, Hendrix, a transfer student with a bloodline of talented tennis players, is added strength for this year's lineup.

"For Riyad (first singles), I think the sky's the limit," Sinclair said. "He had a 23-1 record last year. He's a contender. He has the ability to win every match this year.

"John Hendrix is a transfer from Columbus Academy. He has a strong lineage -- his grandfather had been the OSU tennis coach years ago and his father is a former OSU varsity player.

"I'm looking for him (Hendrix) to play second or third singles and first doubles this year, depending on the matchup with other teams."

As is often the case in tennis, the biggest challenge for Sinclair is to find the right combinations for doubles and matchups against other teams.

"It's going to be difficult to put the lineup out there and not be successful because they're all going to succeed," said the coach. "It's just a matter of having the right chemistry in the doubles combinations."

It's not a surprise after last year's district loss that the goal this year is to try to make it to the state final four tournament.

"I always tell our players that our expectations are to try to make it to the final four team-wise and to do as well as we can individually. Once you get to that point, then you have to have a little bit of luck and you have to be good and you have to be injury-free. And if the luck and the injuries don't go your way, you might not even make it that far."

To go the distance, Sinclair views Olentangy Liberty and Upper Arlington as the two best local teams to beat.

"Olentangy Liberty and Upper Arlington are both going to be really good again," he said."

"Once you're in the final four, anything can happen. And we have just about as good of chance as anybody in the state at doing that."

In the season openers last week, the Eagles served in a strong start with a 5-0 victory over DeSales (March 29) and a 5-0 win over Hilliard Bradley (March 31).