Rob Hardin likes the Notre Dame girls tennis team he coaches. And with good reason. The Pandas are the favorite to win their sixth straight regional team title.

        And Hardin is confident, even though the Pandas finished fourth at the state tournament last year.

        “It never gets old,” Hardin said of his teams' regional titles. “We're the team to beat in the region, but statewide we're the underdog. (Paducah) Lone Oak didn't lose anybody off their state (championship) team. I expect Henderson County to be strong and (Louisville) Sacred Heart to be strong.”

        Notre Dame will build around two players, sophomores Jackie Vilines and Molly Molony. Vilines reached the state singles semifinals, and Molony reached the doubles semis with sister Lyndsey, who is now a University of Cincinnati freshman.

        Vilines doesn't seem to mind the scrutiny being the top team brings.

        “The pressure's good because it helps me perform my best,” Vilines said. “I've worked a lot on mental toughness; I think that was a problem last year.”

        Hardin said his second doubles team, senior Rebecca Weis and junior Lauren Simendinger, is back. After that, the lineup is less certain.

        “The key for this year's team is to have two solid doubles teams to compliment Molly and Jackie,” Hardin said. "The biggest weakness this team has is its state tournament inexperience.”

        In singles, look for a three-person battle between Covington Latin senior Miriam Rahali, the two-time defending regional champion, and runner-up Vilines.

        Rahali, like Vilines, reached the 2000 state semifinals. She also made two decisions over the winter: she'll study biology and journalism next fall at Columbia University.

        “I always wanted to go to an Ivy League school; I've always liked to write since I was little,” Rahali said.

        Rahali largely skipped the fall and winter junior tournament circuit.

        “I was basically working on practice,” Rahali said. “I've been trying to get better consistency and placement on the serve. I'm basically working on getting depth on my other shots.”

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