The last Pam Pack tennis player left standing in the 2014 season, Connor Wilkins took the court on an abnormally steamy afternoon in early May to compete against one of the best tennis players in the state — Hendersonville’s Jacob Fuqua, the reigning NCHSAA 1-A state champion. Hendersonville having been promoted to a 2-A institution prior to that season, the first-round draw for the Pam Pack No. 1 was the furthest thing from lucky.

As the mercury approached the 90-degree notch, the barometer offering little relief, Wilkins flung himself around Court 22 at the Cary Tennis Park and tried to cover as much ground as possible. It didn’t take long for frustration to set in on both ends and eventually, it was the battle-tested Fuqua that captured a couple of crucial break points, giving himself a slight advantage. In one of the longest matches of the afternoon, lasting nearly 100 minutes, Fuqua walked away with a 6-2, 6-2 win.

It took just minutes after the match for Wilkins to begin discussing next year — talk of gaining strength and agility, muscle weight and polishing the intricacies of his game. Now, Wilkins, the lone senior on a Washington tennis team full of experienced sophomores and juniors, is seeking a shot at redemption.

“Connor works very hard during the season and in the offseason as well,” said head coach Miranda Whitley. “He upholds the high expectations that others have of him and is a true leader of our team.”

Wilkins, unquestionably, will lead a supporting cast of proven athletes with winning resumes, one being Holt McKeithan, Washington’s No. 2 who, as a lengthy sophomore, fought his way to the third round of the eastern regional tournament. McKeithan takes his rightful place behind Wilkins this season, but with the graduation Luke Ainsworth, the lone senior on last year’s team, the No. 3 spot was up for grabs in February.

Sophomore Zack Pagnani, who was in the No. 5 slot as a freshman, will take over as the Pam Pack’s No. 3 this year following a solid rookie campaign. Pagnani, known for his drawn-out, lengthy matches, spent the offseason improving his game enough to be one of Whitley’s top performers.

So far, two matches into the season, it’s been smooth sailing for Washington, securing a 9-0 Eastern Plains Conference win over Farmville Central and an upset over D.H. Conley on the road, where individual match wins from Wilkins and McKeithan, along with two doubles victories, resulted in a 6-3 point advantage.

“Last week the main priority was working on our lineup and this week we have been working on some possible doubles lineups,” Whitley said. “Doubles is one of the main things that we need to work on as a team this year.”

Despite the loss of Ainsworth, Wilkins and the Pam Pack are aiming high, the primary goals being a second-consecutive Eastern Plains Conference title (one they took rather easily last year) and advancing well past the second round.

“I have faith that our guys will live up to the expectation of maintaining their record from last season in our conference,” Whitley said. “I think that our biggest competition in the conference will be North Johnston.”

The Pam Pack will look to pick up win No. 3 when it faces Southwest Edgecombe today in Pinetops.