SHORELINE — The outlook for Jonathan Tat and his Shorecrest tennis teammates keeps on improving.

While Tat is poised to advance deeper at the Class 3A state singles tournament, the Scots are looking to get over the .500 hump this fall and surge into the upper half of the Western Conference South Division.

With six of its top eight players from last year’s 8-8 team back, Shorecrest sports one of the league’s most experienced lineups.

“Our singles ladder is going to look very much the same as last year,” Scots coach Jeff Allen said.

Tat qualified for state in doubles as a freshman and earned his first state singles berth in 2003 by finishing second at the Northwest District tournament. The junior won one of his three matches at state last May and was ousted in three sets in the consolation quarterfinals.

“He’s improved every year,” Allen said. “He’s got some goals to do better than he has, which means going to state and placing.”

Consistency and versatility are Tat’s primary tools. He constantly mixes up his shots to keep opponents guessing.

“He’s very steady and very athletic. He’s got quick hands and great instincts on the court and a lot of variety in his stroke production,” Allen said.

“He can hit the ball harder than you’d think. The serve’s not a big weapon for him, but he’s consistent with it. The best thing about him is he moves the ball around real well. He’s also a great defensive player. He just does not give points away.”

After Tat, there’s a logjam for the remaining singles spots.

“The next four or five are all kind of up for grabs,” Allen said. “It’s going to juggle a little bit day to day. They’re all juniors and seniors and they played very close against each other last year. It’s good, healthy competition.”

Among the competitors are seniors Guy Morita, Jordan Hamanishi and Brian Cheung and juniors Kevin Jacobson and Cameron Purn. Morita and Jacobson played singles most of last season before teaming up for the postseason.

The Scots placed sixth in the division last year and were involved in several close matches that Allen felt could have gone either way. Turning those narrow losses into victories is the focus this season.

“If our doubles teams can play consistently and aggressively, we’re going to win more than we lose this year,” Allen said. “That’s our goal.”