Feeling a bout of deja vu, the Palo Alto High School boys’ tennis team lost earlier this month in the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs to Bellarmine High School, repeating the ending of its 2012 season. However, the Vikings finished with a respectable 12-10 winning record and had an impressive showing at the competitive statewide tournament in Fresno, Calif., where they went 2-2.

While both the 2012 and 2013 teams were eliminated by the Bells, this year’s squad finished with a score two points higher than that of last year’s, mimicking the slight but notable improvements in this season over last season.

Coming into the season, junior Blake Smith did not know what to expect.

“We knew we would all improve and make up for lost seniors,” Smith said. “We didn’t know who would be a new addition to the team [but] we got many good new players.”

In league, the team had a 5-7 losing record, but boasted a 5-1 winning record outside of league.

The season fell a little short of junior Aditya Mahedaven’s expectations.

“A lot of seniors graduated, but we expected to have a better record in league,” Mahedaven said.

Among the many highlights of the season was a workout circuit that Smith said the team attempted to complete each day.

“We made eight minute abs a thing and struggled through it each practice,” Smith said. “It was pretty funny.”

Mahedaven said that he enjoyed the team bonding experiences during the state tournament at Fresno the most.

“Just hanging out with those guys and really getting to know them made it easier to be on a team with them,” Mahedaven said.

As for next season, Mahedaven has high hopes.

“Next year we want to improve on our league record because we should have a stronger team and hopefully place better in [the Fresno state tournament],” Mahedaven said.