A good athlete on a tennis court can become a dangerous weapon for a team, especially one as coachable as Jake Sliwinski.

“Coach (Evan) Brosniak saw me in the hallway one day and said, ‘You’re playing tennis,‘ and I said, ‘OK, I guess so.’ I played a little when I was younger, just hitting the ball around, but nothing really beyond that,” said the Southern Regional junior, mostly known for his prowess on the basketball court during the winter season. “It’s a mental game.