SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The St. Francis tennis program opens the 2013 season Tuesday with the first of 10 Delta River League matches over the next five weeks. St. Francis plays host to Sheldon at Rio del Oro Racquet Club at 3:45 p.m.

The Troubadours are directed by Interim Head Coach Kristi Spector, who takes over the program after watching her daughters play for the program last season.

“My first expectation is for the girls to have fun and to learn,” said Spector. “We definitely are building a team this year because we have nine seniors and a lot of freshmen and sophomores that came out. We decided to keep a big team so we could really work with the girls who are going to be carrying our program for the next couple years.”

Avery Spector, who played at No. 3 last season, will play at No.1 singles. She will be joined by her sister, Kendall, atop the singles lineup at No. 2. Senior Jane Sadler will play at No. 3 with Anne Kropf, Perneet Powar and Eden Elliott rounding out the top six.

“We want to be competitive and we want to win but we want the girls to have a good time and represent St. Francis,” said Spector.

The nine seniors will be the backbone of a team that features just one junior but 11 freshman and sophomores.

High school tennis matches feature a best-out-of-nine format with six singles and three doubles matches played between the schools. The doubles teams feature six different student-athletes.

“The strength of the team is the camaraderie between the girls,” said Spector. “It has always been good but this group really gels. They like and support each other and enjoy playing together. It is a pleasure to coach them.”

Spector took over the head coach responsibilities late in the summer. An experienced player, she has enjoyed taking over the leadership of the program.

“It has been more fun than I ever thought and very rewarding,” said Spector. “I am learning about the girls and myself as I go along.”

The Troubadours travel to play at Oak Ridge on Thursday in match held at Broadstone Racquet Club.