SERVING NOTICE: Princeton Day School boys’ tennis player Neeraj Devullapalli blasts a serve in action last spring. Senior standout Devullapalli is playing at second singles this spring for PDS as it looks to build on a 2013 campaign that saw it earn a three-way tie for the state Prep B title. The Panthers started the season with a 4-1 win over Pennington last Thursday and are slated to host Hun on April 9 before playing at the Blair Academy on April 11. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

While the Princeton Day School boys’ tennis team hasn’t been on the court much so far this spring, Will Asch is cautiously optimistic.

“I think we are going to be pretty good,” said PDS head coach Asch, whose team started the season with a 4-1 win over Pennington last Thursday.

“We were supposed to have four matches last week and we had only one. We got some indoors time over the vacation. We got nothing out of the first two weeks because the courts were unplayable.”

Asch knows he has a special player at first singles in freshman Anupreeth Coramutla.

“Anupreeth is a very good athlete and he is very fast,” said Asch. “He is a highly-ranked Middle States player. He has got a lot of potential. He likes to compete and he seems mentally tough.”

The presence of senior star Neeraj Devullapalli at second singles helps make the Panthers tough to beat.

“It is a pretty nice luxury having Neeraj at second singles,” said Asch. “He is playing well. It is nice to have a senior in the lineup. He is a very nice person, the boys all like him.”

At third singles, the Panthers have a nice option in sophomore Scott Altmeyer.

“He was very good last year and I think he will be very good this year,” said Asch of Altmeyer. “He has grown a lot and is a lot stronger. I think he will have more success this year.”

A key to the team’s success will be the play of the first doubles pair of junior Josiah Meekins and senior D.J. Modzelewski.

“Josiah is one of the better doubles players we have had in the last few years,” said Asch. “I think of D.J. as more of a singles player; his game has improved and he has gotten better at the net. They like each other.”

Asch likes what he is seeing from his second doubles team of seniors Hari Rajagopalan and Andy Erickson.

“They are experienced, they played together with the JV for a few years,” noted Asch.

“They are both athletic and they play well as a team. We will see how well they compete against kids who have played in tournaments. I think they will win a lot of matches.”

With its depth, PDS hopes to be in the running to win some titles. “We certainly have a good shot at Prep B; we had a three-way tie last year and Pennington was in the 3-way tie,” said Asch, whose team hosts Hun on April 9 before playing at the Blair Academy on April 11.

“To win the Mercer County Tournament, we will need a lot of luck. It is very tough for a school like us. I think we will be one of the teams in the mix. We could be one of the better teams in the area but I don’t know a lot about the other teams yet.”