Westbrook 3

McAuley 2

Deanna Boisvert and Adrienne Saltz were the last ones to get on the court for Westbrook and thanks to them, the Blazes advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class A tennis playoffs.

Boisvert and Saltz outlasted McAuley’s pairing of Mary Scully and Nicole Connolly, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, to claim the day’s final point and give the preliminary round contest to the Blue Blazes.

“It was intense, but we pulled it through,” Saltz said of the marathon three set match. “We just had to keep a positive attitude because whenever we get stressed, we screw up. But it was a good match, I like the intensity.”

Saltz and Boisvert made quick work of their opponents in the first set with a convincing 6-1 win. But they got off to a slow start in the second set and had to play catch up. First they went up 1-0 before falling behind 2-1 in the set. They rallied to go up 3-2 but Scully and Connolly took the next three in a row to take the second set.

With the match tied at two wins apiece, that set up a third set for all the marbles with both teams and a host of parents watching.

“Usually there are some JVs playing along beside us, so everybody is watching something else,” Boisvert said. “Not for this one; we were in the spotlight today.”

With all eyes on them Boisvert and Saltz took the first three games in a row and appeared headed for an easy victory. But Scully and Connolly battled back and took four straight games and a 4-3 lead in the set. Saltz and Boisvert, with their backs against the wall fought back to take a 5-4 lead. The final game was a battle and finally Boisvert hit a smash between Connolly and Scully for the win.

“(The third set) was absolutely insane,” Boisvert said. “It keys you up because you hear the people screaming at you and usually they aren’t there. It’s freaky, you’re under pressure and then you hit it through and it feels awesome.”

After losing the second set and falling behind in the third, there was some concern on the sidelines. But Westbrook coach Mike Makin says his duo still had confidence.

“They have had some pretty good success at No. 2 doubles, so they have this supreme cockiness, this loose cockiness about it because they have played so well,” he said. “They always believe they can come back. And they have come back from a second set. They have gone three sets a couple of times this year and every time they lost the second set and came back. But that can make a huge difference when you lose the second set, you can go into the third with a bad mentality. But they found a way to win.”

The Blazes were forced to battle for the win, having to overcome a 2-0 deficit early in the match. In No. 1 singles, McAuley’s Erin Woodbury beat Westbrook’s Kelly DiPietrantonio in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2, to give her team a 1-0 edge in the overall score.

The Lions then took a commanding 2-0 lead when the No. 1 doubles pairing of Catherine Tracy and Paige Hickey defeated Westbrook’s Kristine Brassard and Kathryn Bois, 6-3, 6-2.

Mallory Driscoll claimed the first point of the day for the Blazes with a win in No. 2 singles over McAuley’s Julia Haverty. Driscoll won the match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Shortly after Driscoll dispatched Haverty at No. 2, the Blazes tied the overall score when Lori Anne Esmiller defeated Danielle LaCasse, 6-2, 6-4, after a grueling second set. LaCasse had taken a 3-2 lead in the second set before Esmiller won three straight games.

The win marks the second time this season the Blazes defeated McAuley. This time was closer than the 4-1 score last time.

“We try to tell the girls all the time that there is only three things they can control out there; it’s how hard they hustle, how smart they play and how calmly they think,” Makin said. “After that, the other team is battling too, so you’re going to win sometimes and you’re going to lose sometimes. But if you control those three things you’re doing the best you can do. That’s what I try to tell them. But they came through when it was tight like that. They were able to stay calm.”

With the win the Blazes advanced to the quarterfinals where they were scheduled to take on Kennebunk Thursday.