Mark Paull has a problem, but it's one the Oakland Catholic girls' tennis coach doesn't mind having at all.

Paull has too many quality players and not enough starting spots in which to play them.

Paull feels he has four singles players plenty good enough to contribute. But high school tennis allows for only three singles players in a lineup per team match.

He also has three veteran doubles teams -- and a talented pairing of freshmen -- but only two doubles matches in which to put them in during team matches.

In all, that's 12 individual Eagles who, in Paull's mind, deserve to play, but he can only pencil seven of them into a lineup each time Oakland Catholic takes the court.

"The kids are very close, and I think our kids know that this is a team with more than seven starters," Paull said. "So it has to have a lot of harmony, and everybody knows when they're not in there that their teammates are going to deliver. I think everybody likes sharing the success of the team.

"I've often had a rotating lineup, and I've never had anyone who didn't really understand that it's really good for team chemistry."

The lineup's depth starts at the top, where Oakland Catholic has two legitimate first singles players. Tiffany Meinert and Alexis Vitsas are senior co-captains and good friends who play together year-round, pushing each other.

Each has been a four-year starter, and neither had separated herself from the other through five matches heading into the week. Before this week's matches, Meinert, a Wilkins resident, and Vitsas, from Forest Hills, had identical 45-18 career records.

"If you look at the two of them, you see how strikingly similar they are in terms of career accomplishments," Paull said.

"We know that no matter who plays, we both can win," Meinert said.

Third singles is a similar situation, with two players who are close in ability. Freshman Tiffany Kollah has been playing, but sophomore Kayla Meinert is at, what Paull calls, "fourth singles."

"Both are very talented players who hit strong consistent groundstrokes," Paull said. "We're very excited with both as underclassmen."

The first doubles team features another pair of senior co-captains, Allie Bernard and Amelia Fawcett. Bernard is from Point Breeze and Fawcett an Oakmont resident.

Playing second doubles has been junior Jackie Thieman (Edgewood) and sophomore Cara Kennedy (Forest Hills).

A duo that has the potential to contribute is juniors Megan Kimicata and Alaina Vitsas, each of whom resides in Forest Hills.

Freshmen Paige Murphy (Oakmont) and Lara Chengappa (Shadyside) also have been put together as a doubles team and even if they can't overtake any of the teams above them on the depth chart, they provide great hope for the future.

"Overall we're operating with 10 starting players," said Paull, who is in his 13th year as coach. "I like to say to the kids that I have four starting singles players and three starting doubles teams.

"That's good, because you're going to get injuries and you're going to get illnesses throughout the year. It's nice to know that at any point, any of those other teams can play and I know they'll deliver."

The Eagles entered this week 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Section 4-AAA play. Last season's team took third place in the section and won a first-round WPIAL Class AAA tournament match on the road against No. 6 seed Fox Chapel, a win Paull called "one of the most significant wins in school history."

The Eagles' only losses in section play during either of the past two seasons came against traditional powers Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair, and the team desperately wants to overtake at least one of their two big rivals.

"The goal is to build upon last year," Paull said. "Making the playoffs, yes, but we'd like to knock off either Mt. Lebanon or Upper St. Clair. I'd like to think we can this year. We've got a lot of seniors, and those schools have lost players to graduation. I think we can do it. We have to do it on the court, but that's certainly a big goal of ours this year."

"Hopefully, we can help our team get further in the playoffs this year," Meinert said. "It's been a lot of fun playing for Oakland the past four years. It's been enjoyable, and hopefully we get further this year."