Admittedly overmatched as it attempted the arduous task of rebuilding the program at the top tier of the sport in the state, the Mt. Hope High School girls' tennis team enters the 2026 season feeling good about where they now reside.

The Huskies posted a combined 8-22 mark the previous two falls while toiling in Division I, though most of those victories came against lesser opposition under the recently revised scheduling format of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League allowing the results against non-league foes to count towards a team's overall record.

Realigned to D-II this season, Mt. Hope is definitely in a more viable position to regain its footing, according to third-year head coach Nolan Ross.

"Absolutely, we're in a better spot," said Ross, who's assisted once again by Sara Sousa. "We have a strong lineup this year. The girls competed for the ladder matches to figure out their positioning, and they were all within striking distance of each other. So this whole year, we could be moving the lineup around a lot. And we're excited to be competitive in this division. I think there's going be more opportunities for us to build confidence and continue growing."

The 2026 MHHS roster is composed of 18 total players, which considering its struggles of late is a fine figure.

Returning for a third year atop the MHHS playing order is junior Kaia Brown at No. 1 singles. She's followed at two by senior Maggie Dufficy. Senior Hazel Bradley plays from the three spot with sophomore Emma Sorrentino at four.

Senior Avery Walsh and junior Ava Cabral, who played third and fourth singles, respectively, in the absence of Brown and Dufficy in the Huskies' 2026 season opener, form the No. 1 doubles team.

At two is the senior tandem of Lily Parisi and Charlotte Arsenault with senior Marissa Cabral and sophomore Kayla Sousa at third dubs. Next up on the ladder are sophomores Leah Cappuccilli and Sophia Papa.

"The way they've been playing in practice, they've impressed me, especially the seniors, who the last couple of years have kind of taken it pretty hard," said Ross. "There was a lot of competition in D-I. I thought they played well last year. We played teams tougher. Going into this season, they should feel confident. I think it's just about settling in."

Underclasswomen make up the rest of the roster; sophomores Ava Jenkins, Elise Godbout, Hazel James, Maeve Clark and Sophia Pereira along with freshman Bryna Sousa.

"We've got some new kids on the bench. We have about five or six new signups, who will come in and do exhibition (non-counting matches) and work their way into our doubles lineups," said Ross. "I'm encouraging all of our players to challenge each other, make each other better. I think sometimes they get a little timid. They can't do that because they're teammates. But they're all good kids. We're lucky they're here."

The Huskies feel fortunate to be in their new league, emboldening them to think bigger when it comes to setting goals this fall.

Ross explained the expectation comes from within, noting Bradley said after he stated, "I think we can do a playoff run. And she said, 'What about a championship?' And I said, 'All right, that's your challenge if you're putting that out there.'"

A title might be a bit of a stretch, but in Brown Mt. Hope likely has one of the better tennis players in the division. A three-sport standout — she also plays hockey with the boys in the winter and girls' lacrosse in the spring — Ross believes Brown can make a mark on her own as well this fall.

"Qualifying for the state individual tournament is always the expectation for Kaia," Ross said of Brown. "I think she holds herself in a really high regard. She has high expectations. I think the goal is for her to qualify this year for sure. She fell short of that in the last couple years, but she's getting more court time, more experience. And the goal is for her to qualify. But not just her, some of our doubles teams and all of singles players."

As for his overall objectives for the group, Ross added, "Like I said we've had so much improvement in the offseason. These kids played over the summer, took lessons. I was very happy with the improvement I've seen since last year. This should definitely be a better year."