To the casual observer, tennis may appear to be an individual sport. But at Kingston and North Kitsap high schools, the emphasis is on the team.

“We play as a team, we have to win as a team,” North Kitsap coach Vic Nelson said. “The team comes first.”

Coaches at both schools often must shift their doubles players to singles, and vice versa, looking for the best combination to secure a team victory. Singles players will move up or down in the lineup, depending on the strength of the opponent.

“We can’t say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to win this for myself,’” Kingston High captain Olivia Guevara said. “It’s, ‘I’ve got to win this for my team.’”

Guevara likes to imagine the entire Buccaneer squad advancing to the state tournament.

“I just want the whole team to go to state, so bad.”

Last year, the Bucs finished second in the Olympic League’s 2A division, behind tennis powerhouse Sequim. North Kitsap tied for first with Port Angeles in the league’s 3A division, but finished behind Sequim in the overall standings. Neither team sent players to state.

Both teams hope that, by cheering each other on and growing close, they’ll find success this year.

“I strongly believe in team building,” Kingston coach Terry Grimm said. “We have about 25 people, so you can imagine it’s a lot of people on the court. They get close.”

This year’s teams are young. North has only two seniors — captains Georgia Suter and Kerri McGinty — while Kingston has none.

“I think this year and next year, we’re going to be looking pretty sweet, because we’re not going to be losing anyone,” Grimm said.

In addition to the support they get from their team, players know individual strategies will help them win matches.

“The thing about tennis is, it’s not just the ball and the racquet. It’s really a mental game,” North Kitsap junior Kelsey Grunigen said. “If you find your opponent’s weaknesses first, you can use that to help you.”

Both teams play at home Monday at 4 p.m.