Resting on your success leads to disappointment more often than not, so the UNC Wilmington men’s tennis squad plans to build off its success from last season and not let off the gas. The team’s accomplishments last year included winning the CAA championship for the second time in three years, finishing the season ranked No. 38 in the country and advancing to the NCAA tournament regionals.

Coming off a year that coach Mait DuBois said was the “best season the program has ever had,” momentum is high for the Seahawks heading into this year’s competition.

DuBois hopes this year’s squad is able to achieve the similar amounts of success that last year’s team accomplished and add to it. “We always focus on the conference tournament at the end of the season,” he said. “First and foremost, we want to win the CAA championship. Additionally, we want to be successful at the national level and push one of our singles players to the NCAA tournament.”

The coach is setting the bar high for his young team—one that is without a senior this year—but is confident in the Seahawks’ youthful ability, especially after their performance in the UNCW Collegiate Tennis Invitational. Freshman Zach Hublitz won the championship of the D Flight singles. “We have a great group of guys that really feeds off of each other and enjoys pushing one another,” DuBois said. “We had a good tourney and were only a few points away from a great one.

While the team has been recognized for its run of success lately, DuBois has also been commended for his successful coaching stint at UNCW. DuBois, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s 2011 Carolina Region Coach-of-the-Year, was recently selected to participate in the United States Tennis Association’s High Performance Coaching Program in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “You are with the best players and coaches in the world interacting with the best at their professions.” He hopes to convey what he learned at the program to his players, further broadening their potential.

While the graduation of four seniors has created skepticism among some concerning the team’s prospects for the year, DuBois is treating it as any other season. “Every year is different. This year, we have a very young team and we want to take advantage of our youthful energy,” he said. “Juniors Kosta Blank and Chris Cooprider are great players and will be looked at for that leadership factor.”

The official season does not get under way until mid-January, so the Seahawks have time to evaluate talent and decide the seeding of their players. Their next tournament is the Georgia Tech Invitational, which takes place, Oct. 1-3 in Atlanta. UNCW’s home and season opener is Jan. 19 against Appalachian State.