Novi's boys tennis team enters October ranked second in the state and unbeaten through its first five conference duals, with its MHSAA Division 1 regional set for Friday, Oct. 9, at Novi High School.

The Wildcats held the No. 2 spot in the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association (MHSTeCA) Division 1 poll for the week of Sept. 30, unchanged from the prior week, according to rankings published by The Oakland Press. Troy remained No. 1.

Novi has been dominant in Kensington Lakes Activities Association (KLAA) dual meets, winning 52 of 53 individual matches across all flights during a 5-0 start to conference play, The Detroit News reported.

The program returns several players from last season's squad that finished third at the Division 1 state final behind Troy and Bloomfield Hills. Novi has placed seventh or better at the state tournament in each of the last five seasons.

Sophomore Kris Thomas leads the lineup at No. 1 singles after winning the Division 1 No. 2 singles state title as a freshman with a 28-5 record. Coach Daniel Lowes said in a Sept. 17 Detroit News feature that Thomas grew significantly during the offseason and continues to develop as both a player and a teammate.

Junior Arnav Bhatia, who held a 12-4 record as of Sept. 16, anchors the No. 2 singles flight and is aiming for an individual state title of his own.

Lowes told The Oakland Press in September that he views Troy, Rochester Adams and Brother Rice as the top competition in Division 1. He said the Wildcats can contend for their first outright Division 1 state championship since 2014 if the players are at their best when it counts.

"If we are, I think we can compete with anybody," Lowes said after a 5-4 loss to Seaholm on Sept. 16, a match in which Novi was missing several doubles players.

The full Division 1 top 10 for the week of Sept. 30: Troy, Novi, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, Ann Arbor Pioneer, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Adams, Clarkston, Ann Arbor Huron, Okemos and Ann Arbor Skyline. Skyline was the lone newcomer, entering at No. 10.

MHSAA Lower Peninsula regionals run Wednesday, Oct. 7 through Oct. 10. Novi's Division 1 regional is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9, at Novi High School. The Division 1 state finals are Oct. 14-15.