The Paly boys’ tennis players knew their rebuilding season of last year was a success last month as they received the No.5 seed in the CCS playoffs and triumphed over the third best team in the upper De Anza league.

When they faced the toughest test of the year against Bellarmine, the Vikings tennis team suffered from a bitter, 7-0 blowout to the Bells on Monday, ending Paly’s season in the quarterfinals.

“It was a very tough loss,” head coach Andy Harader said after Monday’s lost. “It was really disappointing to lose after a fabulous season.”

The Vikings knew what they were up against. Bellarmine was a dominant fourth seed in the CCS draw. But as the temperatures at the Decathlon Club in Santa Clara reached the upper-90s, a tough match turned into a desperate battle.

Comprising eight seniors and several top-ranked players in Northern California and the country, the Bells (22-2 overall) did not drop a single set to the Vikings (21-3 overall) in seven matches. The high level of consistency of the Bells, topped by the unusually strong weapons of a few players, gave Paly no chance to win.

“He [Senior Ronald Wu, Bellarmine’s No.2 singles player] served around at least 120 mph,” Harader said.

Sophomore Philip Homnack and freshman Peter Tseng were the first ones to report Bellarmine’s domination, after failing to win a single game during their 6-0, 6-0 loss at No.3 doubles.

“They [the Bells] outplayed us, painting the line with every shot,” Tseng said after the match.

One after another, Paly players stepped off the courts with the same kind of news. No.3 singles player junior David Plotkin walked off his court with a 6-0, 6-2 loss.

“All the games were very close, but the opponent ended up winning the important ones,” Plotkin said.

A few Paly players are ranked in the Northern California 16-and-under division, although most of Bellarmine players are ranked highly in the 18-and-under division, where the much more experienced compete. Playing Wu, who is currently ranked third in Northern California and 252nd nationally, was sophomore Sam Wong, who used to be ranked as 13th in the 14-and-under division and has recently moved up an age group, at No.2 singles. The score was 6-1, 6-3.

“[Wu] was the best guy I have every played,” Wong said. “I played well, but he was better than me at every stroke.”

Sophomores Alan Chen and Cory McCroskey lost their number-two dubles match, 6-4, 6-1.

“The opponents worked together well, using really big serves,” Chen said.

After senior Jason Mah decided to leave due to an illness right before the start of the match, seniors Kyle Shulman and Matt Severson were the only Paly seniors on the courts. After seeing their winning streak alive for about 20 matches, many expected them to win. Bellarmine’s powerful passing shots, however, went by Shulman and Severson quite frequently at the No.1 doubles court. The final score was 6-4, 6-1, another straight-set loss.

“They were a solid team, really consistent,” Severson said. “We played well, but a lot of critical points went in their way.”

The next to finish was junior Kushal Tantry at No.1 singles, losing 6-4, 6-1. Playing against Donald James, who is currently ranked 11th in Northern California and 254th nationally, Tantry’s usual consistency was shattered by his opponent’s sharp-angled, heavy ground strokes.

It was only sophomore Dan Schwartz at No.4 singles who came close to winning a set. In the longest match of the day, lasting more than two hours, Schwartz found himself losing the first set, 6-3. Schwartz used his strength to its full extent to earn a single victory for the Vikings, but his opponent stood firm, winning the second set, 7-5.

“I left it all out there on the court,” Schwartz said. “By the end of the match, I was so hot and tired that my hands were shaking and my teeth were chattering.”

The Vikings suffered a tremendous loss, but they look ahead to next year, according to Harader. They will be stronger than the Bells, which will face dramatic changes with eight seniors’ leaving, and be able to compete with currently top-seeded schools in the CCS playoffs, according to Wong.

“In tennis, the off-season is critical,” Harader said. “We have many young, self-motivated players who will continue to train, and be much more experienced. I certainly look forward to the next season.”