LEWISTON — Court was in session once again, and both sides were happy for it.
On Friday, both the Lewiston and Yarmouth girls tennis teams played their first matches in two years as the Blue Devils defeated the Clippers 3-2.
The Blue Devils were the 2019 Class A State Champions while the Clippers are one of the teams to watch in the WMC this season.
“It’s definitely good to be back, it had been so long,” Lewiston doubles player Julia Paquette said. “I felt like I was super competitive because it was my first time on varsity and I really wanted to win.”
Paquette and partner Libby Forgues took No. 1 doubles, defeating Abby Hill and Claudia Coolidge 6-2, 6-3. Lewiston’s No. 2 singles player Julia Svor defeated Hannelore Sanokklis 6-1, 6-0, while Lewiston’s No. 3 singles player Lauren Foster won by default.
“I was so happy to play,” Lewiston coach Anita Murphy said. “I think the situation could have been different if (Yarmouth) had their number three singles, we don’t know how that would have turned out.”
Julia Svor dropped the first game against Sanokklis but won the next 12 in a row to win the match.
Svor used that first game to scout Sanokklis.
“She was hitting a lot of slices and I just had to be ready for the balls coming in lower,” Svor said.
Paquette believes Forgues and her are on the same wavelength.
“We both know how to teach each other and go with the flow with each other,” Paquette said. “I think it will be a good season.”
The Clippers won at No. 2 doubles as Jill Schlax and Lauren Dawes defeated Whitney Perkins and Claudia Cucubica 6-0, 6-0.
Sofia Mavor, the Clippers’ No. 1 singles player, made quite the debut as the freshman defeated Abby Svor 6-0, 6-0.
“It was one of my first time playing outside, especially with all the wind,” Mavor said. “For me, I was trying to move my feet a lot and hit the ball where I wanted to and play my best tennis.”
Mavor tried for angle shots and get Svor moving.
Yarmouth coach Bill Shardlow said he has a young team this year but it helps to have a talented player like Mavor coming in.
“Well as a coach, anytime as a coach you can get a freshman as talented, skilled and nice of a person she is, it’s a gift because she’s a very good player,” Shardlow said. “She’s a great role model for our team. For me as a coach, it makes you look good when you have that good of a talent coming in at the top (of your lineup).”
The Clippers aren’t a team that Lewiston normally plays, but Murphy didn’t mind her squad facing an unfamiliar opponent.
“We were looking forward to playing them to see what the girls would do against them,” Murphy said. “I am very proud.”
The girls liked the new opponent as well, knowing tennis is big in Yarmouth.
“I was like oh, we are playing Yarmouth, but obviously they are a good tennis town,” Julia Svor said. “We just had to be prepared. We just practiced and practiced.”
After no season last year, the coaches just wanted their players to enjoy themselves on a nice spring afternoon.
“Well, we have an experienced team and I think what we do is look at areas we need to improve on,” Shardlow said. “But I agree with Anita, our goal is the same, you are going to go out and have fun. I want them to continue to learn and hopefully we will continue to improve as the season goes along. That’s what it’s all about.”
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