There’s plenty of reasons for the Edward Little girls’ tennis team to feel optimistic, despite the small steps the Red Eddies still have to reach the next level in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.
As anticipated, the lineup changed as players challenged for higher rungs on the ladder. Christine Chamberland gained two steps to No. 1 singles this year. She dropped her first match, but rebounded to win three of the next four.
Sarah Ross had to make an adjustment from doubles to singles. Senior captain Elizabeth Mitchell has played at No. 3 singles. The ladder wasn’t set in stone because the singles players are evenly matched.
“My singles players are all very natural technique players,” EL coach Elisha Irland said. “They combine solid ground strokes, good serves and great consistency. Sarah Ross boasts a rocket first serve and Christine is the most consistent player I have ever coached and rarely makes unforced errors. Elizabeth knows her way around a singles court. She is a very intelligent player, always in the right spots at the right time.”
The doubles welcome some young talent with sophomores Alyssa Bellefleur and Rory Chrisolm-Drane at No. 2. Juniors Jamie Bourgoin and Torri Eustis return at first doubles.
The program has had a lack consistency since Don Towle retired, so the return of Irland for a second season is a plus.
“I felt responsible to come back,” Irland said. “I felt the excitement that my team was so young and learning so quickly. I had to come back and experience the privilege and witness the culmination of all last season’s hard work. I expect myself to feel the same at the end of this season.”
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Improvement can be a slow process, but the Saint Dom’s girls have found the competition in the Western Maine Conference to be unrelenting. The progress, though, has been positive.
The Saints are facing tough competition playing against experienced opponents.
“It’s different,” Saint Dom’s coach Elisa Whittier said. “Teams from Falmouth, Greeley and NYA can and do take it more seriously. It’s probably due to the fact that they have access to the indoor facilities that we do not have in the Twin Cities.”
Saint Dom’s lost three of its first four meets, including setbacks against Greeley 4 -1 and Falmouth 5-0. A narrow 3-2 loss to Gorham was followed by a 3-2 win against Fryeburg.
The Saints returned five starters, led by sophomore Lauren Tardif at the top of the singles ladder. A pair of seniors Danielle Theriault and Rachel Nadeau, play Nos. 2 and 3. Tardif played No. 3 singles last year, while Theriault and Nadeau each played beside different doubles partners.
“This has been an adjustment,” Whittier said. “Especially for the two playing singles this year because they have the whole court to cover now instead of relying on another person.”
Senior Danielle Moreau and sophomore Heidi DeHaan have formed a tandem while freshmen Emily St. Pierre and Erin Saucier comprise second doubles. /////////////
It has always been difficult to develop and continue a strong program without a feeder system. A tennis club has started at Mountain Valley Middle School with 14 kids signed up. This isn’t a team, but an opportunity to play and learn. Falcons boys’ coach Don Fuller initiated it and Thea Dunn, a teacher at St. Athanasius and St. John’s will head it up.
All kids from that school are welcome and they’ll try to play two days a week at the Mexico Rec. Park courts.
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Winning can be contagious, and the Oak Hill boys are riding the wave.
The 2004 team set the bar high after achieving a couple firsts, including winning six meets and qualifying for the Class B playoffs. The Raiders have continued making strides this spring and are currently fifth in the most recent Heal Points.
The top seven players all joined the Ascona Club in Augusta this winter, working with a trainer on tennis fitness. They also spent a lot of time hitting together.
“We also were able to practice from Day 1,” Oak Hill coach Matt Dean said. “We reserved five practice sessions at Ascona during the first week, when (our) courts were full of snow and ice. The indoor time (throughout winter) really showed in our first practice. The guys were not rusty and I could just tell by watching them that they had been hitting a lot. I think the motivation they had to do that may have given them an edge against some of their opponents this season.”
Senior Sean Amos is holding his own at No. 1 singles and junior Nic Daggett has been targeted at No. 3. Drew Rountree has won six of eight matches at No. 2. The former basketball player pushed Charlie Ash of Camden Hills to three sets and won at Maranacook in a third-set tie-breaker 13-11.
The Raiders won two meets 3-2 and broke new ground by beating Maranacook 4-1. It was believed to be the programs first-ever win against the Black Bears.
The doubles tandem of Shaun Michel and Evan Travers are examples of the Raiders emergence. They dropped the first set 2-6 at Maranacook, but won the next two sets.
Sophomores Jon Perron and Chris Blais were 4-2 together, but Perron dislocated his elbow in warm-ups at Erskine. Josh Rush has stepped in.
“These guys all use their heads on the court,” Dean said. “They move together and communicate really well. They make opponents earn everything. Their losses have been really tight.”
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