The Palo Alto High School boys’ tennis team will battle tough competition this week, as it faces off against league opponents Sacred Heart Prep and Monta Vista High School on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

Despite optimistic expectations heading into the season, the team has fallen out of Central Coast Section playoff competition after an inconsistent past few matches, according to senior captain Shiv Matta. However, the team does plan to compete in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League playoffs, which will take place on April 26 and 27.

According to junior Henry Badger, strong performances this week will help the team’s case to remain in the same league, SCVAL, next year.

“We’re looking to finish the season strong,” Badger said. “We hope we can get a win against Sacred Heart Prep and perform our best in SCVALs. We hope we can play our best and particularly stay in our league for next season.”

According to Matta, the match against Sacred Heart Prep is within the Vikings’ reach, while Monta Vista poses a more difficult challenge for the Vikings.

“We’re just looking to compete in these upcoming matches,” Matta said. “We should beat Sacred Heart, but Monta Vista is the best team in the league so it’ll be tough.”

Although the season is winding down, Matta remains optimistic for an enjoyable finish, especially for himself and fellow seniors Drew Embersits and Carl Goodfriend.

“We are all just looking to finish strong and put a good finish on [our] high school careers,” Matta said.

Both matches begin at 3:30 p.m. at the Paly tennis courts.