The improvements have been real and they have been dramatic.
Each year in recent seasons, the Cathedral High School girls tennis team has taken distinct steps forward, and this year was no exception.
The Irish in 2009 were very, very deep. And they were very, very talented.
They were ranked among the state's top teams the entire season.
The problem for the Irish?
For years, they have been in one of the state's toughest regions. That was true again this season, and it was in that round where the Irish's season ended again.