To be competitive this season, Curt Killion knew his Salem girls tennis squad had to win at the bottom of the ladder and then sneak another victory somewhere in the middle sets.

“Basically we needed to win our (No.) 5 and 6 matches and also win our (No.) 2 and 3 doubles and then hope for another win from our (No.) 3 or 4 (singles),” said Killion.

So far, the script has played out nearly exactly as rehearsed.

The Lady Blue Devils are 4- 2 this season, and three of their victories – against Timberlane, Merrimack and Alvirne – came via 5-4 decisions.

Both a blessing and a curse, Killion said there is little clear separation between his No. 1 player and his No. 9. So while Salem’s deserved No. 1 and No. 2 players, Angela Rullo and Danaka Blakslee, respectively, struggle against the top players from other teams, its rotating No. 5 and 6 slots, manned by Caitlin Peters, Fay Long, Breanna Edelstein, Christie Hutchings and Andrea Vinci, take the victories.

Peters, for instance, is 4-0 this season. Nicole Antonelli, at No. 3, and Julianna Blaisdell, at No. 4, have produced mixed results thus far, but they have provided what Killon considers the deciding victory in three contests.

The same applies to doubles matches. The Lady Blue Devils’ top team of Rullo and Vinci has fallen to some of the best tandems in the state, while the No. 2 and 3 teams have found regular success. In fact, the second unit of Blakslee and Antonelli is undefeated in six matches this season.

Peters anchors the No. 3 team, and Killion said he is still working on finding her a regular partner, though Long may be taking the decision out of her coach’s hands; she and Peters are 3-0 together.

Still, while the bottom of the ladder is having great success, Killion admitted it has been a challenge keeping those at the top motivated.

“They’re definitely getting a little discouraged, but I just have to keep reminding them to look at the bigger picture and go out there and try to have fun with it,” he said. “It’s definitely wearing on them a little, though.”

In addition to Salem’s three one-point decisions, it also played in two contests that weren’t close – a 7-2 loss at Manchester West and a 7-2 victory against Manchester Memorial.

Because his team is likely to fall to the Class L elite and beat up on cellar dwellers, it’s the tight match-ups Killion said Salem must win for the playoffs to become a reality.

A .500 record is realistic, but it’s likely an 8-6 record is needed to reach the post season, said Killion. That’s why dropping a recent 5-4 decision to Nashua South hurts.

“The way I look at it, we’re a point or two away from being 5-1, but at the same time we’re only a few points away from being 1-5,” said Killion. “We were 2-12 last year, so I’m happy to be competitive again right now, but we’re playing what I think are the top four teams in the state this year, so we really need to win those close matches.

“That one match (against South), could very well end up making the difference.”