Coming into the season, South Western High girls tennis coach Kristen Meyer knows what needs to happen for her Lady Mustangs to repeat last year's success.

Replacing All-Area first-teamer Erika Weldon and second-teamer Lauren Duffy is no easy task.

Luckily, Meyer returns senior Kelsey Utz, an All-Area second-team selection, and junior Natalie Greenholt, a first-team selection from last year.

Doctors sidelined Duffy, a rising junior, due to health concerns.

"She is heartbroken that she can't play. I am heartbroken that she can't play, but she has got to do this," said Meyer.

Duffy found out the news at the end of July and hopes to return to South Western's squad as a senior if her health allows it.

"She participated in different activities with me and the other girls to condition for the season. That's when we heard the news. Of course, everyone was upset," Utz said.

Meyer hopes for a top-three finish in YAIAA Division I, but knows the Lady Mustangs may encounter some bumps in the road along the way.

Utz matched Meyer's sentiments, aiming for a top-two finish behind perennial favorite Dallastown.

"Each point counts. I have told them it doesn't matter if you aren't number-one. We just need each point," Meyer said.

Utz and Greenholt are the team's top returning players and should provide for a steady 1-2 combination, but the season's question mark is how the rest of the team will perform.

"It is going

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to teeter on them if we are going to be able to pull out these matches. It's going to be tough," Meyer said.

Utz and the rest of the Lady Mustangs prepared for the season with two-a-day practices throughout part of August.

The senior leader hopes the rest of the team can step up to fill Duffy's shoes without a drop in performance.

"I think everyone as a team participates hard, and everyone practices and is dedicated. Overall, everyone is stepping up," Utz said.

Unlike the average high schooler, Utz did not spend the entire summer bagging groceries or lounging at the beach.

Instead, she joined a team with players from Hanover and South Western, including Greenholt and Duffy, and qualified for a tournament in Harrisburg.

Though Utz had family obligations that held her out of the Harrisburg tournament, she came back to the news that the team had advanced to the next stage at Princeton University.

"We went to play with the U.S. Tennis Association in the intermediate and advanced fields," Utz said.

The tournaments kept Utz and her teammates sharp and prepared them for a season in which they are hoping to duplicate the success they enjoyed a year ago.

Contact Sam Latter at slatter@eveningsun.com.