This is the year for Andy Zipf.

The Seneca Valley senior boys tennis player has the game - and particularly the serve - to perhaps challenge for a WPIAL title.

Now if only he would give his forehand a rest every now and then.

Playing every chance he can may have led to a knee injury that has kept Zipf limited early this season.

"I literally have to tell these guys not to play too much," said Seneca Valley coach Eric Grove. "I think Andy's injury was because he played too much."

But it is hard to keep Zipf's zipping serves off the court.

Zipf's offerings have been clocked in the 130-mph range.

"He's just so mature now," Grove said. "His serves are just awesome."

While Zipf may be the standout individual player in the area, Grove City is still the class team.

The Eagles have recorded 19 straight winning seasons and won the Tri-County tournament again last season.

GC coach Lorraine Gilson, in her 28th year, has compiled a record of 233-80.

"I guess (that's impressive)," Gilson said. "I love it."

It's easier to love it when you have a deep team and a solid singles and doubles lineup like Gilson has this year.

That presents pretty lofty goals in Grove City.

"I'd like to go all the way," Gilson said. "They have it within them to do it."

Following is a team-by-team look at the five area boys tennis teams this spring:

Coach:Aaron Mils, second yearThey're gone:Mark Evans, Evan Pollock, Scott Cygan.They're back:Ike Backstrom (junior), Brad Staub (senior), Andrew Thompson (sophomore).Outlook:Butler will have to overcome the loss to Mark Evans, who was one of the best players in the county."He was a heck of a player," Mils said. "He was fantastic."

Coach:Eric Grove, fourth yearThey're gone:Justin HartzellThey're back:Andy Zipf (senior), Pat Allen (senior), Pete Czerwinski (senior), Scott Golmic (junior), Jon Hartzell (junior), James Myers (senior), Seven Rohn (senior).Worth watching:Caleb Zalenko (freshman), John Giancola (freshman), Tim Larkin (freshman).Outlook:After going winless in its first season and going 5-15 in its second season, Seneca Valley nearly reached the .500 mark last year.But Grove is still being cautiously optimistic."We kind of set our goals differently this year," he said. "We talked about practicing hard and staying intense. We talked more about the mental game. The matches we lost last year, we beat ourselves."

Coach:Tom Gammell, seventh yearThey're gone:Eric Ramsey..They're back:Noah Gammell (senior), Levi Hartle (senior), Hans Kroft (senior), Evan Shaffer (sophomore), Ben Zimmerman (junior), Tim Gagen (senior), Adam Napora (sophomore).Worth watching:Greg Fitzgerald (senior)Outlook:Knoch returns one of the most experienced singles lineups in the area. The Knights' bugaboo may be a difficult section that features Pine-Richland at the top."It's an up-hill battle," Gammell said. "It's going to be very difficult to make the playoffs. The top two teams make the playoffs and I think we'll be battling for third."

Coaches:Bill Pettigrew, Kent ShoemakerThey're gone:Lucas LoganThey're back:C.T. Adams (senior), Brad Hasek (junior), Steven Smail (sophomore), Matt Hudac (senior), Jake Mashuda (senior), Nich Ceraso (sophomore), Devin Hilman (sophomore), Brian Reel (sophomore), Lee Shriver (senior), Jason Daubman (sophomore), Nick Campbell (sophomore).Outlook:Mars finished third in its section last season, narrowly missing the playoffs.The road to a playoff spot is just as tough this season."Sewickley Academy is always tough," said Mars co-coach Kent Shoemaker. "We always shoot for the best, but if we end up in third, it would be a nice achievement."

Coach:Lorraine Gilson, 28th yearThey're gone:Shane Burns, Dan Lynn, Adam Kimmell, Adam Lott, Jake Spears.They're back:Logan Crowe (senior), Joshua Lynn (sophomore), Dan Spears (sophomore), Ian Smith (senior), Phil Hoffman (senior), Andrew Lee (junior), Ben Arnold (junior), John Clausen (junior), Chris Lowden (senior).Worth watching:Drew Bestwick (freshman), Mark Snelzer (junior), Nate Thomas (sophomore), Zach Bombatch (freshman), Jared Braham (freshman), Kelly Chutz (freshman), Chris Weber (freshman)Outlook:Grove City is one of the deepest teams around and have a long, successful tradition with Gilson at the helm.The goals stay the same for Grove City every year: win the Mercer County Athletic Conference as well at the Tri-County Conference)."They are fighters," Gilson said. "What they lack in skill, they make up with in hustle. Cardiac kids, these guys are."