Mallika Prabhakar and Nicole Byer hoped to climb the ladder before their high school tennis careers concluded.

The seniors skipped a few rungs in the process.

Prabhakar is playing No. 1 singles, and Byer is No. 2 for the struggling Blue Knights, who dropped to 1-7 on Thursday, May 7, following an 8-1 home loss to Pinkerton.

Last year Prabhakar played fourth in the West rotation, while Byer was sixth.

Despite the challenges the pair faces individually, each maintains a positive outlook.

“It’s been quite a big challenge. Everyone hits the ball so much harder (higher in the ladder),” said Byer. “Playing up I have improved individually, though, and it’s been a really good learning experience.”

Byer leads the team with three wins. Prabhakar earned a victory in the team’s season- opening 7-2 victory over Londonderry.

“It’s tough in that even if a team is bad, you get the best of the best when you’re playing No. 1,” said Prabhakar.

“I have improved my mental game because of it. I used to get down on myself a lot, but now I am able to move forward and forget about what just happened.”

West’s top two players aren’t the only Bedford residents on the court. Kaitlyn Cameron plays at No. 4, followed by Megan Pichette at No. 5. Lindsay Pieper paired with Pichette against Pinkerton to play in the No. 3 doubles spot.

Pichette is second on the team in individual wins with two.

First-year head coach Jeff Miller said Prabhakar and Byer have developed solid chemistry.

“They’re very consistent players, and they support each other and help each other improve on techniques,” said Miller. “When they’re getting beat, it isn’t their own doing. They’re just running into solid players.”

Miller also said he looks forward to building the program and hopes to develop feeder programs to aid the process.

“It’s been a very strange season. We had only about two weeks of practice before the season started,” said Miller.

“Not all of the girls are able to practice indoors during the offseason, so when they get to me, it’s the first time they’ve picked up a racquet in a year.”