CRANBERRY TWP — Only a freshman, Jonathan Perkins hasn't competed in the WPIAL yet.

The Seneca Valley student will soon be on the way to his second U.S. Tennis Association Junior Team National Championships, however.

A member of the Pittsburgh Head Hunters team, Perkins, 14, is one of the eight squad members heading to Surprise, Ariz. to compete in the national 14-and-under age division Oct. 22 to 24.

"Teams are formed through local associations and among themselves to compete in local and section tournaments," said Kasey Connors, community tennis manager for USTA Middle States. "Pittsburgh's entrant had to win the Middle States event to get to nationals."

The USTA Middle States tournament also featured teams from central Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia.

Perkins' teammates are Hannah Famili of Pittsburgh, Peter Hazlett of Mount Lebanon, Kylie Isaacs and Elizabeth Kolah of Wexford, Sara Komer and Mitchell Kreider of Venetia, and Caleb Kramer of Gibsonia.

Perkins, Hazlett and Isaacs were on last year's Pittsburgh team that placed fifth at nationals.

"The other players from last year became too old for our age group," said Perkins, who plays and trains at the Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford. "We all know each other through local tournaments or through Oxford.

"I played Peter Hazlett in my first-ever match in a USTA tournament. We've been friends ever since."

Perkins took up tennis at age 6 and has been playing competitively since age 9. Between singles and doubles, he's won about 50 tournaments.

He plays roughly 15 tournaments each year.

"I played soccer, too, for nine years, but gave it up in seventh grade," Perkins said. "Tennis is a lifetime sport and I wanted to focus on that."

Team members will break into singles, mixed doubles, boys doubles and girls doubles at nationals. There will be 16 teams — each being a section champion — divided into four-team pools.

Each team plays the other three in its respective pool. Once those standings are determined, the four first-place teams play for final positions one to four in the standings, the second-place teams play for positions five to eight, etc.

"I play for the experience and for fun," said Perkins, described his strengths as his serve and forehand. "These matches definitely help my game."

He plans to play for the Seneca Valley boys tennis team in the spring.

USTA Junior Team Tennis was established in 1991 and is a league for players ages 5 to 18. The organization had 17 sections and more than 80,000 participants this year.