By Pete Borello

Lynn Horiye won’t go as far as saying his St. Francis High girls tennis team will be crowned champion of the Central Coast Section this year.

Although the Lancers are undefeated, the coach points out that Leland and Pinewood are unbeaten as well. And Horiye believes the defending CCS champion Menlo Knights, whose lone loss came against a formidable team from Southern California, are probably the best squad in the section.

However, Horiye isn’t about to count his team out.

“I think we can succeed,” he said. “But to do so, the girls need to keep working hard and believe in themselves.”

Confidence is key, according to the coach.

“We have to continue playing well and be confident in what we’re doing,” said Horiye, in his first year as the Lancers’ head coach. “Confidence will make a difference, I think. You’ve got to think you can do it.”

Based on what St. Francis has done thus far, confidence shouldn’t be a problem. The Lancers wrapped up the SCVAL De Anza Division title last week with 6-1 routs of Saratoga and Los Gatos, pushing their league mark to 12-0. They boast a 16-0 overall record.

To cause a stir in the playoffs, which start Tuesday, St. Francis will need its singles players to continue their strong play and hope the doubles teams can pull off a few upsets.

“We have a lot of experience in singles,” Horiye said. “In doubles, we need to keep developing.”

The Lancers’ top four singles players - Stephanie Schnitter, Megan Kawahara, Laura Boskovich and Erica Boutacoff - all entered this season with varsity experience.

Horiye said Schnitter, a sophomore who’s lost just once this season, seems to get better with each match.

“She’s still developing her game and working hard to become more aggressive in her approach - attacking rather than playing back,” the coach said of his No. 1 player. “You can see she’s making progress.”

Megan Kawahara, a junior playing in the No. 2 spot, has shown steady improvement as well.

“She’s working on her overall game and making better ground strokes,” Horiye said. “She hits hard from both sides.”

The coach has welcomed the return of Boskovich, a senior who didn’t play for the Lancers last season.

“She played club tennis instead, but she missed playing on the team and decided to come back,” Horiye said of his No. 3 player. “It’s nice to have her back; she brings a lot of experience.”

Experience is something St. Francis lacks in doubles, as many of its best players from a year ago have graduated.

The No. 1 team consists of sophomore Monica Martin de Bustamante and freshman Jillian Bauer.

“They’re both young players who are coming along well,” Horiye said. “But it’s the experienced teams they have trouble with.”

And as Horiye noted, the playoffs will be full of experienced teams.