Wednesday, St. Aloysius can win the Class 1A championship in team tennis.

Before then, the Flashes can earn individual and doubles glory as the Mississippi High School Activities Association singles and doubles tournament gets underway today at Mississippi College.

St. Al has entrants in all five divisions in the individual state tournament. The list includes Michael Foley and Steven Cialone, who will try to defend their boys doubles championship. The duo opened the tournament against Cathedral’s Andrew Carter and Sam Fury.

“It’s awesome to not only to get to defend our doubles, but to go for a team championship, too,” Foley said.

Another St. Al player with a shot at an individual title is Austin Mathis in boys singles. He’s 12-1 this season. His main competition figures to be Sacred Heart’s Chris Wilkins, who is on the other side of the draw.

Mathis vs. Wilkins should be a pivotal matchup in the team championship Wednesday, when the Flashes face Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. It’s one of several previews the sides will get of each other in advance of the team competition.

Sacred Heart has two teams in the boys doubles draw and their mixed team led by Carter Andrews is potent. Sacred Heart beat St. Al 5-2 last year at the South State 1A team finals. Shields, though, likes his team’s chances this time.

“They lost their best boy and girl which weakens them,” Shields said. “We have more options this year. This is the best team I’ve brought against them.”

St. Al’s other netters in the individual tournament are Kori Vessel in girls singles, Alexa Baldizon and Mathis in mixed doubles, and Ashley Piazza and Jean Marie Mabry in girls doubles.

Piazza and Mabry have reached the girls doubles finals each of the last two years, but coach Rick Shields said their path is tougher this time.

“They have the toughest road because they would get a strong team from Cathedral in the second round,” Shields said.

While the Flashes play at Mississippi College, Warren Central will have four entrants in the Class 6A tournament at Parham Bridges Tennis Center in Jackson.

Representing WC are Jalen Dagher and Elizabeth Wooten in mixed doubles; Parin Bhitka in boys’ singles; Ashley Porter in girls’ singles; and the boys doubles team of Jesse Tillotson and Robert Rhett.

Dagher and Wooten open the tournament against a team from Petal, but would face Ocean Springs’ Andrew Risley and Tori Calcote in the second round. That duo finished second last year, losing to Vicksburg High’s Christine Figueroa and Perry Wolfe in the finals.

“We know we have a tough draw,” Dagher said.