The comeback fell six games short for the Lewiston Smashers.

Faced with a 15-game deficit going into Sunday’s final match at the 2004 USA Team Tennis Championships, the Lewiston 14-and-under team rallied for a huge win over Loudoun of Virginia, 5 matches to none and 57 games to 21, cutting Dover I’s lead. Dover won its own match and 48 games in the process, though, and took home the team title by six points, 257-251.

In Sunday’s finale, Chantalle Lavertu had the most convincing win, a 6-0, 6-1 victory at girls’ singles. Kasey Boucher and Stephanie Gagne also blanked their opponents in one set, taking a 6-0, 6-3 win at girls’ doubles.

Will Emerson won handily at boys’ singles with a 6-1, 6-3 victory, while Calvin Chicoine and Ben McDonough took the boys’ doubles match 6-5, 6-0.

In mixed doubles, Audrey Bergeron and Devin Van Dyke eked out a three-set win to complete the sweep |of Loudoun, giving the Smashers a 10-1 advantage in sets won.

The Smashers went 4-1 with 17 individual wins against eight losses. Lewiston won 37 sets, the same number won by Dover I, and dropped 18.

On the trip, every member of the team recorded at least one win in either singles or doubles. McDonough, Lavertu and Emerson led the way with three wins each, and McDonough was also the only Lewiston player that did not lose over the weekend.