After nearly a year of waiting, Orestimba High tennis team returned to the courts to open the season with the Riverbank tournament last Friday.

The team finished in third place in the tournament. Riverbank High took the top placement, while Summerville High followed afterwards with a second-place finish.

Friday’s meet was split into two sections, with each containing a boys, girls and mixed doubles match. After all six matches, all the results were accumulated for the overall placement. The Warriors won one of the two mixed matches. Riverbank finished in first place in three of its six matches.

Second-year head coach Nolan Osborn said the team improved from last year’s tournament performance, where they ended in fourth place, especially since he believed that they competed against tougher teams.

“I was impressed,” he said. “We did have some newcomers on the court, and they pulled through and got some wins.”

Last season focused on understanding what steps the program needs to take to improve, Osborn said. The focal point for this season will be the players control their emotions as part of the mental aspect of the sport. This includes moving on to the next set without having an outburst. It’s what Osborn describes as “the tiny things” that make a difference later on.

“I mean, overall, I’m impressed. [It’s] completely different than it was last season. So pretty optimistic on how they can do this year,” Osborn said.

With the first meet concluded, Orestimba continue going on the road as the team will travel up north to Sonora for another meet on Tuesday.