Aces: Spartans learning as they go

On paper, Monday’s season-opening match for the Milford High School boys tennis team was as brutal as could be.

The Spartans were swept by Souhegan, 9-0, and three of those matches were by an 8-0 count.

But for first-year head coach Nancy McManus, there were positive signs all over for Milford.

“It’s great because they’re all so excited because they want to play,” McManus said. “The younger kids were begging me to get back on the court when they got off. They’re all so eager to learn and they’re excited to learn how to play tennis.”

The Spartans have just two seniors – one of which was out Monday with an injury – and return four players from a team that went 0-14 a year ago. With so much youth on the roster, McManus had to not only coach, but also keep an eye on a few players who are still learning how to keep score.

“The kids are just learning patience and to be consistent,” she said. “I tried to get them to go out on the court and think of two things that they wanted to improve, and then come off and think about what they could have done better. It’s the starting point. We’ll go from here.”

The Spartans will play their first match at Keyes Field on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. against Monadnock.