While the usual roster changes will happen again this year, the Lancaster-Lebanon League girls tennis teams will see another significant difference — a change in its match format from four singles and three doubles to three singles and two doubles.

Meanwhile, despite some pretty big changes, look for Manheim Township to be the team to beat again this year. Lancaster Catholic, which lost to the Streaks in last year’s L-L team final, is a team that will actually look pretty familiar from a year ago, led by returning L-L Class 2A singles and doubles champion Serafima Billis, and could be a challenge for the Streaks.

What’s the difference?

As with most rules changes, there are positives and negatives with the switch to the 3-2 format.

“This format will align the L-L League with the playoff format,” Hempfield coach Mindi Bell wrote in an email. “This will allow doubles teams to play together for the entire regular season prior to the playoffs, which will be beneficial.”

Manheim Central coach Kurtis Funk liked the previous4-3 format, which allowed more playing opportunities,

“Some of my earlier concerns with the 3-2 format were around the JV playing time and district doubles,” he wrote in an email. “Our league has put some guidelines in place so that we are still going to be playing a … match (for the top doubles teams) after the 3-2 varsity match is over. This allows the window of time for JV players to be able to get some time in.

“I think the main negative that exists is that your No. 3 player will be very limited in getting any in-season doubles experience. However, we have some great coaches in our league that will problem solve any way to benefit the kids on their teams.”

L-L tennis chairman Ben Gardinier of Pequea Valley said his role was to help further what the coaches wanted to accomplish. He proposed the rule change to the athletic directors at the monthly league meeting and a vote took place.

“The main purpose for the format change,” he said, “was to align the regular season format to what is currently done at our league playoffs and the PIAA district and state playoffs.”

Who’s at the top?

Manheim Township has been dominant in the L-L for quite a while, including a four-year run under Carolyn Miller, who went 65-7 before stepping down after last season when her youngest daughter, Haley (a two-time L-L Class 3A singles champion), graduated.

The Blue Streaks, who went 20-1 and won L-L and District Three 3A titles last season before finally losing in the first round of the state playoffs, will be coached by Earle Cornelius. He has been active in tennis as a player and coach for almost 50 years, including assisting former Township boys coach Doug Pennington from 1997 to 2004, and was recently hired. Current boys coach Shane Holbein has handled the early weeks of training camp.

They’ll deal with the loss of Haley Miller and Maya Lamachane, who graduated, with sophomore Abby Martin, a Section 1 all-star, L-L Flight 2 singles champion, L-L Class 3A doubles champion and District Three 3A doubles runner-up last season, leading the way this season.

But Lancaster Catholic (10-0 in L-L Section 3, 15-2 overall last season) may be headed for another rematch with Township in the L-L team final, with only section all-star Jane Brubaker gone from last year. Billis, who was the Section 3 player of the year and the District Three Class 2A singles runner-up, will be joined by the likes of seniors Paityn Gerz, Emma Keough and Abby Millay-Stipe for the Crusaders.

Other changes

Also different this season, two teams will be switching sections. Section 2 runner-up Conestoga Valley (6-1, 12-5) moves up to Section 1 and Warwick (1-6, 2-10) drops to Section 2.

Other new coaches are Amy Ankeny at Donegal, Chris deVitry at Lancaster Country Day and Melissa Landis at Linden Hall. They’ll have a long way to go to match the league’s longest-tenured coaches: McCaskey’s Delaine Mast is entering year No. 41 and Ron Wanner is in his 35th at Warwick.

Section races

The Section 1 crown will likely come down to the usual suspects: Manheim Township and Hempfield. The Black Knights went 14-7 last season, which included three losses to the Streaks (including 4-3 during the regular season), and return players such as sophomore Kiana Nguyen, who was a section all-star as a freshman, and seasoned seniors Rose Wendel and Rose Durrett. Hempfield, however, will be without Priya Christman, who was another section all-star as a freshman but decided not to play this season.

Elizabethtown went 10-4 and won Section 2, but will be without all-league and section player of the year Dasha Gencturk. They’ll turn to seniors JJ McBride and Elizabeth Neff.

The door could be open for Manheim Central (5-2, 15-4), which finished third and gave Elizabethtown its toughest section match, falling 4-3. The Barons have junior Kendal Newswanger, a section all-star, among their returnees.

Senior Edy Myer is a returning Section 2 all-star for Solanco (1-6, 8-7)

Will any team be able to challenge the Crusaders in Section 3? It will be tough, with runner-up Lancaster Country Day (8-1, 9-5) without most of last year’s lineup, and senior Nia Hafey for Annville-Cleona (5-4, 9-7) the only other returning section all-star.

Mark your calendar

Here are some dates on the schedule of note:

First matches: Teams can officially begin play Monday, with 10 nonleague matches on the local docket. All but three matches will be between L-L teams.

First league matches: Sept. 2 in the 10-team Section 3; Sept. 10 for Sections 1 and 2.

L-L League team tournament: Oct. 2, 5, 6.

L-L League flight tournament: Oct. 8, 10, 12.

District Three team tournament: Oct. 13, 15, 19, 21.

District Three singles: Oct. 16-17.

District Three doubles: Oct. 23-24.

PIAA team tournament: Oct. 27, 30, 31.

PIAA singles and doubles tournament: Nov. 6-7.

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