The road to state for team tennis begins Tuesday at 3 p.m., with the Redhawks traveling to Lovejoy to take on the Leopards in the opening round of the UIL playoffs.

“I expect us to come out and get some great wins on both the guys and girls sides, and come up with a win against lovejoy and advance in the playoffs,” junior Luke Blasingame said. “We’ve been practicing a lot of doubles, and trying to get the best lineup to get us wins in all three doubles matches on the guys side, so I hope that translates to the match.”

Finishing District 9-5A in 4th place with a 6-3 record, Blasingame is ready to bring his A game with partner sophomore Charlie Zhang.

 “I feel like we’re ready,” Blasingame said. “We finished out the regular season strong, and if we play like we’re capable of playing, we can make a deep run in the playoffs.”

The winner of Tuesday’s match will take on the winner of Woodrow Wilson High School and W.H. Adamson High School.

“I hope that all that hard work and practice our team put in throughout the season will pay off and show,” Zhang said. “I expect everyone to do well and work as a team to pull out a win. Personally I feel ready because I know that I’ve been working hard and putting in the practice to be successful during a match and the same goes for the rest of the team.”