The Baldwin boys tennis team lost to Central Catholic on Thursday, 3-2.

Senior Carter Smeal said Central did well with their gameplay.

“They did well staying in the matches and making the game close,” Smeal said. “They forced us to be consistent.”

Senior Laeth Salih commended Central Catholic for their serving skills.

“Their serves were really nice, and their serve returns were also good,” Salih said. “They kept us moving, and we needed to find our pace within the match.”

While the Highlanders lost, they did well when Central made mistakes, Smeal said.

“We did well capitalizing on their mistakes and waiting for them to make unforced errors,” he said.

Salih was happy with the team’s doubles performance.

“Every week, our doubles are showing improvement,” he said. “Most of us are relatively new, so as the weeks go by, our doubles are looking better.”

Senior Nikita Petruk won his singles match, and junior Joey Maiers and sophomore Brandon Esek stood out in their doubles match, Smeal said.

“Nikita stood out because even though he struggled in the first set, he battled back to win the match,” Smeal said. “Our first doubles, Joey and Brandon, won their first set of the season, which was a big accomplishment.”

Salih agreed, adding that Nikita “played an amazing game against his opponent, and they were both equally matched.”

Salih thought the team started off well, but could work on their confidence during games.

“If something goes wrong, some of us kind of just shut down,” Salih said. “If we really don’t work on that, we’re going to struggle pulling games.”

While the Highlanders are still winless this season, the team has kept positive, Salih said.

“Our team morale is relatively high, even with these losses, so I’m hopeful we can win a game soon,” he said.

The team’s next game is at 3:30 p.m. today at home against Seton LaSalle.