POULSBO — Purple racket is sounding out at the North Kitsap High School outdoor courts as shoes squeak the asphalt and tennis balls pop off of nylon mesh racquets; the tennis melody rings over the underlying teammate banter of the North Kitsap Vikings.

Though casual conversation is typically discouraged in the heat of preseason practice, this year’s Vikings have a lot to talk about. Kevin Joines is the only senior on the court for NK in 2006, while he and only two other players — juniors Jordan Tucker and Joseph McBurney — return with varsity experience in 2006.

“Fundamentals,” has been the team’s focus since beginning preseason practice Aug. 21, said fifth year NK head coach Jay DeVries. “Everyday we spend about a half an hour teaching the kids what they need to be able to do to play the game.”

The forms, the strokes, the volleys, the rules and the lingo — it’s all just the beginning for those new to the Viking squad learning at pace with a safety net as DeVries said he doesn’t plan on making any cuts. But for those with either JV or varsity experience from last year, preseason practice has been a jump start to get back into competitive shape.

“I think it’s tougher than a lot of people would think,” DeVries said of the team’s early conditioning regiment, noting that the first 45 minutes of practice are devoted to stretching and running. “(The players have) to know, if they go deep in a match, I want the other guy to get tired faster than they do.”

From fast twitch muscle enhancing line drills to stamina building two mile jogs, Joines said, “DeVries makes us run a ton.”

But he and the rest of the team have taken well to the routine as the Vikings understand that preparation is key. And this season especially, mental preparedness will matter just as much as what the team can do physically.

Since eight of last year’s Vikings, nearly the entire varsity squad, exited at graduation there are ample spots for either newcomers or returning players to take a step up. But when one enters the varsity realm, he better be ready for the heat, Joines warned.

“When its a varsity match it counts for the team, so it’s definitely not as laid back,” said Joines who played varsity doubles last year with then-senior Evan Faulk. “There’s a lot of pressure especially when it comes down to a two-two tie and all the pressure is on you.”

And in addition to the requisite pressure of a normal varsity match, the heat has been turned up another notch into this season as the Vikings will join a few of the Narrows League’s top tennis teams — Bellarmine Prep (last year’s state champion tied with Wenatchee) and Olympia — in the newly realigned Narrows League Bay division.

Though he is expecting this league realignment to adversely affect the team’s win/loss record, DeVries can look forward to possibility of the competition it brings to sharpen his squad in a constructive year.

The process begins at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 5 as the Vikings will travel to Gig Harbor for a non-conference match that should serve as a measuring stick for both fledgling squads. Then the next day, NK will travel to Mount Tahoma for its first conference challenge at 3:30 p.m.