Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ tennis team’s 0-2 start is unlikely to define the year for the Lady Saints.

They are coming off an incredible 2014 run that saw them go all the way to the state championship match, finishing as runners-up at the Division II level of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association.

Lindsay Raulston, the VISAA Division II Coach of the Year, is not back this year, because she is attending medical school, but her mother, Sheryl Raulston, has taken her place. She served as assistant coach last year.

Some teams might feel pressure after a highly successful season, but not NSA, the elder Raulston said. Coming so close last year has simply made the Lady Saints hungry.

“They’re all talking about winning state and being first,” she said.

The 2014 team graduated seven seniors, but the Lady Saints returned their two team leaders, junior Elvie Sellers and senior Ria Khandpur.

Some key players have not been healthy to start the season, though, including junior Allison Gottlieb with a wrist injury and junior Caitlyn Hannah with a back injury.

“If we can get through this week and get people back on the court, I think we’ll be geared up for a state championship this year,” Raulston said.

Nansemond-Suffolk opened the 2015 season on Tuesday by hosting Hampton Roads Academy, the team it faced in the 2014 state championship match. The Lady Saints fell 7-2 in the rematch.

Following are the singles results:

No. 1 Elvie Sellers (NSA) def. Joyce Fields (HRA) 7-5, 6-2

No. 2 Emily Wang (HRA) def. Ria Khandpur (NSA) 1-6, 6-3, 11-9

No. 3 Emma Howard (HRA) def. Caitlyn Hannah (NSA) 6-3, 6-3

No. 4 Pia Stuetzle (HRA) def. Anuja Shah (NSA) 6-4, 6-7, 10-3

No. 5 Jasmin Colson (HRA) def. Mercer Hartman (NSA) 6-2, 6-4

No. 6 Chloe Watts (NSA) def. Erica Bellamy (HRA) 6-2, 6-2

Following are the doubles results:

No. 1 Fields/Stuetzle (HRA) def. Sellers/Khandpur (NSA) 8-3

No. 2 Howard/Wang (HRA) def. Shah/Hannah (NSA) 8-3

No. 3 Colson/Bellamy (HRA) def. Watts/Eleanor Burcham (NSA) 8-6

Raulston noted Sellers’ win over Joyce Fields was a big deal, and she praised Sellers for her development in the offseason.

“She’s played more tournaments over the summer,” Raulston said. “She’s come a long way since last year.”

The challenging opening week continued Thursday against Cape Henry Collegiate School, the 2014 VISAA Division I state champion.

Playing against a Lady Dolphins team that features year-round tournament players, the Lady Saints lost 9-0. This time, they were without both Gottlieb and Hannah for singles play.

Following are the singles results:

No. 1 Brooke Pilkington (CH) def. Sellers (NSA) 6-2, 6-1

No. 2 Nicole Krykanov (CH) def. Khandpur (NSA) 6-0, 6-0

No. 3 Aja Shelton (CH) def. Shah (NSA) 6-0, 6-0

No. 4 Vista Grinde (CH) def. Hartman (NSA) 6-0, 6-0

No. 5 Fiona Clunon (CH) def. Watts (NSA) 6-1, 6-4

No. 6 Lane Limroth (CH) def. Burcham (NSA) 6-2, 6-2

Following are the doubles results:

No. 1 Pilkington/Krykanov (CH) def. Sellers/Khandpur (NSA) 8-0

No. 2 Shelton/Grinde (CH) def. Shah/Hannah (NSA) 8-3

No. 3 Clunon/Limroth (CH) def. Watts/Hartman (NSA) 8-1

NSA will not have to worry about going through Cape Henry for a state title, since the schools are now in different divisions.

Nevertheless, the match served to illustrate that junior Chloe Watts, a newcomer to the sport, has significant promise. Before falling in her second set, she led 4-1, and she won against HRA.

“I’m expecting good things out of her,” Raulston said.

The Lady Saints face Norfolk Collegiate School on Tuesday at Old Dominion University’s Folkes/Stevens Indoor Tennis Center.