Marietta may be the most dangerous under-the-radar girls tennis team in Cobb County.

That's probably because Walton, the six-time defending state champion and winner of 127 consecutive matches dating back to 2004, gets most of the hype.

Marietta is the strongest of Cobb's teams in Region 5AAAAA, having finished the regular season with a 16-4 overall record and a 10-2 mark in region play. Though the Lady Blue Devils finished as the runner-up to Etowah in the region finals last week, they will still serve as host when they play Parkview today in the opening round of the Class AAAAA state playoffs.

Before their loss to Etowah, the Lady Blue Devils had won nine straight, with two wins coming against Kennesaw Mountain, the team that defeated Marietta in last year's region semifinals.

While Marietta has made the state playoffs three straight years, it has never made it past the second round. The one thing going against the Lady Blue Devils this season is the likelihood of playing at Walton in the second round, if Marietta can get by Parkview.

Doesn't seem fair.

But if Marietta does cross paths with Walton in the second round, No. 1 singles standout Megan McLinden said the team would approach the match with nothing to lose. She drills with many of Walton's players under head professional Jerry Baskin at Olde Towne Athletic Club.

"I know all those girls," McLinden said. "We just need to go in there and just have fun."

This year's Marietta roster is centered on six juniors who provide both depth and experience. The Lady Blue Devils also have two seniors, a sophomore and two freshmen, one of whom is rising star Brooke Donnelly.

McLinden, a potential Division I player, is the most experienced of the juniors, her only two losses coming to Etowah ace Nicole DaLuca. She defeated Kennesaw Mountain's Caitlin Kitchen three times this season and also has a win over Walker's Katherine Oudin.

Caroline Graham and Allison Goins carried Marietta at No. 2 doubles. McLinden said she has known Graham and Goins for most of her life, having drilled together at Laurel Park when they were youngsters.

"They have come through the ranks and have played for a number of years," Marietta coach Jeannie Poley said. "They've meshed really well together, and it's helped us out more than it has in the past."

Marietta's junior class is expecting to take over the mantel next year after McLinden's older sister, Gilly McLendon (No. 3 singles), and Kelsey Aho (No. 1 doubles) move on.

Gilly McLinden has signed to play at Queens College in North Carolina next season, while Aho is still pursuing her college tennis plans, Poley said.

But when it comes to building toward the future, Marietta will lean toward Donnelly, the freshman who has won the bulk of her matches at No. 2 singles, and sophomore Mary Kaitlyn Nelson, who plays No. 1 doubles with Aho.