It's been quite some time since the Salisbury boys' tennis team put together a winning record in the Colonial League. In fact, the last time the Falcons finished a season with an above .500 mark was in 2009 when they went 10-4 in conference.

A winning record isn't solidified just yet, but a 6-2 conference mark with six league matches remaining puts them in a prime position to do so.

After a 3-2 loss to Saucon Valley in late March, the Falcons won five of their next six. Before a 5-0 defeat to Moravian Academy on Saturday, the Falcons previously scored wins over Wilson (5-0) on Wednesday and Pen Argyl (5-0) on Monday.

Their efforts over the past several days have stationed the Falcons as the No. 2 ranked team in the District 11 Class AA rankings. Moravian Academy is in first with a 7-0 mark.

"Part of it is they've got the same coach for two years in a row," head coach Rob Benson said. "That's making a big difference to them. They know what I expect. They know that I expect nothing but 100 percent from them. And that's what they're giving me."

While their loss to Moravian was their most lopsided match of the season, Benson saw a number of positives from his team's performance. The two squads will meet up again on Thursday.

"Last year, we were getting beat [6-0, 6-0], and we were lucky to get points in the set," Benson said. "This year, if you look at the two doubles scores, particularly the first doubles, they almost beat them. They're getting rid of that fear."

The team continues to go through its learning curve as the season progresses, but it's hard to shy away from the success this relatively young squad has endured.

The Falcons' No. 3 singles player, freshman Mason Groff has gone 6-1 for the Falcons this season. Not far behind is freshman John Yurconic, the team's No. 1 singles player, who has compiled a 6-2 record thus far.

"They're good freshmen," Benson said. "They just have to get a little bit more mentally tough. We're working on that.

"What they're doing is they're seeing the other team members play with abandonment and going after it. It's making an impression on them."

The experienced players from last season's team have continued to lead this bunch and constantly take strides from a year ago. Brendan Reichenbach and Dylan Bonge, who play together at No. 1 doubles and are 5-1, nearly handed Moravian Academy its first doubles loss in five years. The two fell to Jackson Dorogi and Ayan Branas by a score of 5-7, 6-2 and 7-6 (7-4).

"They're playing with my linebacker mentality," Benson said. "They just don't give an inch. They go out and they play for every point. The biggest examples of that are my doubles teams and of course [No. 2 singles player] Ben [Heydt]. The freshmen are learning about that."

The Falcons will host Southern Lehigh on Wednesday at 4 p.m., followed up with a match at Moravian Academy on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Results from Tuesday's match against Notre Dame East Stroudsburg were not available at time of press.

"The support from the parents has been fantastic," Benson said. "Coming to the matches and supporting the whole team has been really great."