After a rocky 2-4 start, Highland is thinking state tournament again. 

“We have moved into a good position in the state rankings and we have to keep it,” coach Gene Valocchi said after the Hawks (5-4) swept Trevor G. Browne for their third straight victory Wednesday. “We have had a couple of really good intense practices and I’m going to keep that up as the intensity seems to carry over into our matches.”

The goal is to make the state tournament for the second straight season. Entering the match, the Hawks were ranked 12th, the last slot in the state tournament bracket.

With just five matches remaining, the urgency is apparent. Highland’s next opponent is 14th ranked Queen Creek Wednesday at Queen Creek.

Only one game required a third set against Trevor G. Browne.

“Continuation of yesterday, we were really focused yesterday and it carried over into today,” said Valocchi. “Once we got done with warm ups and had our talk, they took care of business like I thought they should.”

A big improvement is the team’s confidence as the season has progressed.

“At the beginning, we weren’t as confident as we are now,” said senior Brooke Jones. “A lot of girls were new so they weren’t as sure in their skills. We are a lot more focused because we know we can do well.”

That confidence comes with more exposure in matches. Valocchi has talked about how his squad did not have a lot of in-game experience before this year. Now the Hawks are improving.

“I think they are starting to develop. The seniors are getting a little better. They don’t run into as many new things in matches,'' said Valocchi. “They are getting more confident which is building comfort in our play.”

What also has improved is the team's chemistry.

“For doubles I know I can rely on my partner,” said senior Taylor Lerch. “As we are training all together we all stick together… Before every game we all huddle up together and talk about how we can perform and that we will all be there for each other. We are all very unified.”