University's Kona Luu is one Trojans who is back in 2010. Paul Bersebach, The Register

The boys tennis season is a long way off, but it’s never too soon to see what might happen.

There are plenty of unknowns, yet one thing is for sure – the landscape is going to change.

Too many seniors are graduating, and too many lineups are changing for it not to have a different feel come 2010.

A preview of what it might look like:

Top 5 storylines to watch for in 2010

5. Which individual is going to fill the void?

The top senior talent is moving on, and what a bunch it is. It includes but is not limited to University’s John Huang and Matt Siow, Mater Dei’s Chris Freeman and Charlie Alvarado, and Dana Hills’ Warren Hardie. Who takes over as the best in the county? Canyon’s junior to be Denis Nguyen would be the early favorite after reaching the semifinals of Ojai and Round of 16 in the CIF-SS individual tournament.

4. Who will make more noise – Valenica or Laguna Beach?

Both teams lost in their respective division finals in CIF. Both return almost their entire lineups in tack. Both have the potential to rise in the county rankings. Which program will have the more successful year, and can either get the title they missed out on this year?

3. Which of this year’s freshman class will explode?

The ninth graders were out in full force this season, leaving county tennis fans with excitement and optimism for the years to come. Which player of this group is going to be the cream of the crop? The early favorite suggests Mater Dei’s sophomore to be Justin Agbayani may be the one to watch.

2. Can the county players reclaim a singles or doubles individuals championship in 2010?

County players were shut out during the individual tournament, the first time since 2000 the county didn’t have an individual title holder. The last time the county went consecutive seasons without an individual champ was 1998-2000.

1. What will happen to University?

The Trojans are in transition, and who knows what that means for a team like the Trojans. They are losing three key contributing seniors, and possibly their freshman sensation. Can the Trojans absorb those depatures and still remain the dominant program they have come to be? Or are they primed to be taken down, say by a team like Corona del Mar?

Possible top 10 for 2010

1. University (Final 2009 ranking No. 1) – Trojans lose 3 key seniors from team that reached four straight CIF finals. Still, depth should be deep enough to keep Trojans tops in county.

2. Corona del Mar (3) – Sea Kings lose 2 key seniors from team that spent entire year at No. 3 in county. Sea Kings could push University for No. 1 spot.

3. Dana Hills (6) – Dolphins lose the best singles player in the county, but still have two good ones in the lineup and doubles should improve from this season.

4. Troy (4) – Warriors are tough team to gauge. They lose their No. 1 singles players and a couple key doubles guys, but this program always seems to wind up among the best in the county.

5. Mater Dei (2) – Monarchs could suffer biggest hit of any team in county. They lose 7 seniors from a team that reached the semifinals. They still have one of the better players in the county in sophomore Justin Agbayani.

6. Woodbridge (7) – Warriors return key singles player in Mikey Zablan, and coach Ric Barth teaches a solid doubles game that keeps the Warriors among the county’s top 10.

7. Northwood (5) – Timberwolves lose their top singles players and top doubles team. There is enough talent returning, however, that coach Eric Keith should find a way to keep his team in the top 10.

8. Santa Margarita (9) – Eagles graduate their top singles player, but have two young guns on deck. They should be strong enough to keep the Eagles in the top 10.

9. Valencia (Not ranked) – Tigers will up their nonleague schedule in the spring, and return all but two starters from a team that reached the Division III CIF final.

10. Laguna Beach (Not ranked) – Breakers are in a similar position as the Tigers, having lost the Division IV final but returns plenty of players from that team to contend again.

More from the boys tennis blog:

• All-league boys tennis: South Coast League
• All-league boys tennis: Academy league
• Boys tennis: Top 5 stories of 2009
• CIF-SS 2008-09 Team Champions: Boys Tennis
• Tobolski: Thoughts on the boys tennis team finals
• Boys tennis: Segerstrom saves county from first occurrence since 1998
• Boys tennis: Segerstrom finishes job, takes Division V championship

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