The initial county top 10 poll was released yesterday and here’s a closer look at the teams filling the spots:

1. University: The undisputed heavyweight champ of boys county tennis is back on top and sitting in its throne. The Trojans return a roster loaded with talent and add some new firepower with two freshman. Read more about University in the tennis preview

2. Mater Dei: The Monarchs return singles players Chris Freeman and Charlie Alvarado, among others. They face University on Tuesday, but are considered a long shot to pull off the upset. Still, Mater Dei is the next best team in the county, whatever that gap may be.

3. Corona del Mar: Brian Ricker, who coaches the girls, takes over the Sea Kings this spring. CdM lost its best player and the CIF-SS singles champion, but has a strong cast back. The Sea Kings lost a tight one, 10-8, to Mater Dei last week.

4. Northwood: The Timberwolves are legit. Northwood beat Dana Hills, 79-76 on games, after tying 9-9 last week. That was a major win over a traditional county powerhouse like the Dolphins. But is Northwood good enough to crack top 3 this season? We’ll find out. Northwood faces Mater Dei next week and CdM next month.

5. Dana Hills: Dolphins have one of the top players in the county back in Warren Hardie. However, losing to Northwood might be a sign Dana Hills is slight down for their normal high standards. But c’mon, most programs can only dream about being a little down and still hold the No. 5 spot in the county.

6. Los Alamitos: The Griffins are an interesting team to watch this season. They have a top player back at No. 1 singles, and have some young talent. But is Los Alamitos a top 5 team? The face Dana Hills on Thursday, which will help answer that question.

7. Troy: Justin Thompson is on top once more for the Warriors, who will be playing to work their way up the rankings this week. Troy hosts Northwood on Wednesday in what could be a coming out match for Troy.

8. Villa Park: Coach Mike Lee has the program rolling again, and though the Spartans may lack the top tournament players of other teams, their year around program has Villa Park contending with the top teams in the county. Villa Park beat Mater Dei in a scrimmage earlier this season, minus the Monarchs playing without one of their top players.

9. Irvine: The Vasqueros have some unknowns surrounding them, but the talk around the county is this team can play. How good Irvine is will be revealed today. The school plays Northwood in a city match up.

10. Santa Margarita: The Eagles return on of the better players in the county in Ali Makmalchi, who is probably No. 6 on the top 5 players back list.

Others: 11. Newport Harbor; 12. Woodbridge; 13. Laguna Beach; 14. El Dorado; 15. Valencia; 16. Sunny Hills

Tennis preview: top 5 returning players, players to watch and important dates

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