It's called Australian tennis.

The down-under version of the game is for when you are one short of having enough players for a doubles match but one too many for singles.

Regan Hendricks, 14, found herself in that very predicament Monday night at the Casper Country Club.

"You serve to them as doubles," tennis veteran Angela Emery instructed Regan. "But they can only use the singles alley. It's a way to play with three, if you show up at the park and don't have four."

In Casper's new Junior Team Tennis league, young players can learn things not taught or gained in private lessons.

They can gain match experience against people their own age and put learned skills to the test.

They can learn concentration, competition and sportsmanship, Emery said.

Or perhaps learn how to play Australian tennis.

Junior Team Tennis, a program of the United States Tennis Association, exists all over the mountain region and country, but Emery said she had to adapt the program to work in Wyoming.

Many leagues are competitive and teams play against each other. Some teams travel extensively for matches, but this is mainly in metropolitan areas.

Casper's new league, the first in Wyoming, is much more informal, Emery said, and students play against each other every Monday afternoon for a few hours. They keep score but in a relaxed setting with plenty of water breaks.

"We want to get the kids out here, have them using the skills they learned in those lessons in a real-game setting," Emery said.

Many young tennis players in Casper take lessons and then play in a few tournaments every year. Wyoming does not have many opportunities for organized play for juniors, she said.

Her son, who just graduated from high school, ended up playing against adults as his skill level increased.

She saw a need in the community for Junior Team Tennis, and as a board member on both the Intermountain Tennis Association and the Wyoming Tennis Association, she had the resources to bring it here.

The Junior Tennis League has opened opportunities for teenagers like Maddy Graham and Mitchell Bradley.

Maddy, 16, began playing tennis when she was about 4 but decided in sixth grade she wanted to play volleyball. Soon she found the racket and tennis ball calling her back and she now plays on the Kelly Walsh High School tennis team.

Mitchell, 17, knew he was too small to play football as a high schooler and he also joined the Kelly Walsh tennis team.

They both joined the junior league to keep their strokes sharp this summer.

"Because I am playing fall tennis and I didn't want to lose my game for next year," Mitchell said.

The two usually spend their summers working with the one tennis professional in town and attending camps in other cities where they do mainly drills. They said the league is more like scrimmaging.

And it's fun.

"When it comes to the season, you are more stressed out," Maddy said. "You can work on different strokes here and don't have to worry about messing up."

Maddy and Mitchell played each other Monday. Emery said she tries to match kids with the same skill levels to play together.

Emery hopes the league will teach junior players more about the culture of tennis and bring more kids into the "Casper tennis family."

Then Regan Hendrick's squad might find a fourth player.

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.

Come play

What: Wyoming's first Junior Team Tennis League offers teens a chance to put their tennis skills to the test in an informal, fun way. Teens can still sign up to play.

When: Every Monday night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m through the end of the summer.

Where: Casper Country Club at 4149 Country Club Road.

Cost: $21

For more info: Contact Angela Emery at (307) 258-8833.