Berlin Hiland Hawks Boys Tennis Opens 2026 Season With Mixed Results

Replacing two of their best players is never easy, and the Berlin Hiland Hawks boys tennis team felt that reality early in the 2026 season, posting a mixed record through their opening matches as coach Carrie Jones works to reshape the lineup around a young core.

The Hawks entered the spring knowing that filling the top two singles spots vacated by graduated standouts Jackson Mullet and Logan Hershberger would be their defining early challenge. Both players anchored Hiland's singles rotation last year, and their departures left the program leaning on its returning doubles depth while newer faces step into bigger individual roles at the top of the order.

Jones identified the singles transition as the program's primary concern heading into the season. Hiland's doubles units offered a more stable foundation to build around, but singles points are difficult to manufacture overnight, particularly in Ohio Cardinal Conference play where opponents like Wooster return deep, experienced rosters led by established players.

The mixed early returns are consistent with the rebuilding arc Jones and the Hawks anticipated. Hiland shares that developmental posture with Inter-Valley Conference and OCC neighbors West Holmes and Triway, all three programs entering 2026 with younger lineups and an eye toward building consistency rather than chasing titles in the short term.

For Hiland, the work ahead is specific: develop singles players capable of winning points against OCC competition, and protect the doubles depth that gives the Hawks their most reliable footing. The opening stretch of the season, wins and losses alike, represents the early data points in what figures to be a long-term rebuild under Jones.