When Gloria Morison wakes up in the middle of the night, her mind turns to tennis.

That's a good thing for her Conant girls' tennis team, as they can benefit from her late-night musings. Before Tuesday's home showdown with visiting Kearsarge, it was post-serve positioning that had coach Morison tossing and turning in the night. 

"I woke up in the middle of the night last night and then I couldn't get back to sleep," Morison said. "So, I was thinking about all the little things I wanted to tell them. Getting in position quickly, focused up and ready to return. You've got to get yourself back to the middle of the court, shuffle back, get yourself ready."

And while the insomnia-fueled instruction wasn't enough in the Orioles' 7-2 loss Tuesday afternoon, it's just the kind of coaching this Conant team needs to get better over the course of the season. 

"Overall, they were moving better than they had been, especially in their singles matches," Morison said.

This year's Orioles have a quartet of returning upper-class athletes in Nobley Walker, Jess Yap, Grace Lewis and Riley Goddard. That group is slotted into the top four positions to start the season, with newcomers Caroline Rockhill and Emily Lewis rounding out the top six.

The senior Walker has stepped up into the No. 1 spot this spring, as home-schooled phenom Margaret Winiecki opted out this season in favor of private instruction. The junior Yap looked good at No. 2 on Tuesday in an 8-0 shutout win over Cougar No. 2 Felicity Kane. 

Grace Lewis, a senior, played a marathon game against fellow No. 3 Kira Guantt, ultimately losing 9-7 after about 45 minutes thanks to Guantt's wicked forehand slice. Though she's now a senior, Goddard didn't have a ton of court experience leading up to this year, but she's shown enough improvement to start the spring at No. 4. 

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"She didn't play much last year, but she's actually been hitting the ball really well,” Morison said. “A couple things have clicked. I find this happens where new players come back the next year, and even if they haven't played from then until now, sometimes something just clicks – it's just muscle memory."

Rockhill, a sophomore, took care of business at No. 5 with an 8-4 win, but that was the last score for the Orioles on Tuesday, despite freshman Emily Lewis's big comeback bid at No. 6 in which she battled back from a 6-1 deficit before falling 9-7. 

"She was really staying in it!" Morison said. 

After a slew of weather-induced indoor practices and slick surfaces that forced them off the court mid-match on rainy days, the Orioles were happy to see sunny skies on Tuesday afternoon and hope to keep up the momentum earned by a beautiful day of tennis.

The Orioles have yet to win a match this year, falling in their season opener at Bishop Brady last week and again to Division III leader Lebanon on Monday. As the younger players gain confidence, Morison expects some shakeups in the ladder via challenge matches, and that spirited competition can only mean improvement on the court going forward. 

"The girls need to get into action and make it happen," Morison said. 

Conant (0-3) is scheduled to host Trinity Wednesday and return to action at Sanborn Friday.