WATERVILLE – It’s not something you usually hear on a tennis court, but it worked for Alexa Rivers and Gillian Ford of Brunswick after they lost four straight games in the Class A girls’ tennis state final Saturday.
“Third period,” Ford said to Rivers. “Third period.”
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Ford and Rivers play hockey together. They try to bring their blue-line mentality to the baseline.
“We apply that hockey training to tennis,” Ford said. “It helps us zone in.”
By reeling off nine of the next 10 games, Rivers and Ford won their No. 1 doubles match 7-5, 6-1 for the critical point in a 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten McAuley at Colby College to give Brunswick its first state title since 1998.
Also, Falmouth completed its fourth consecutive perfect season with a fifth straight Class B state title, 5-0 over Waterville.
In the day’s last match, Waynflete and George Stevens Academy met in a rematch of last year’s final and Waynflete won again, 3-2.
In Class A, the state singles champion, Maisie Silverman provided the clincher after Brunswick (16-0) swept the doubles. It took more than an hour, but Silverman put away Addie Devine of McAuley, 6-0, 6-1.
“She was getting all my shots back,” Silverman said. “It was definitely a battle but I really wanted to win it for the team. It feels great because everyone can celebrate together.”
Leah Soloway and Samiera MacMullen were first off the courts for Brunswick with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles. Devri Ramsey and Ally Strawn continued their unbeaten seasons in team competition for McAuley (15-1) with straight-set wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles.
Brunswick Coach Rob Manter figured he could count on a victory from Silverman, so he needed a doubles sweep. Seeing Rivers and Ford down 5-4 in the first didn’t faze him.
“I know they sometimes start a little slow,” he said. “They both have strong personalities with aggressive games. It just took them a while to get it in gear.”
In Class B, Falmouth (16-0) has been in high gear since early May 2008, when the girls began a winning streak that hit 77.
Annie Criscione (6-1, 6-1), Analise Kump (6-1, 6-0) and Olivia Leavitt (6-0, 6-0) led a singles sweep.
“Very bittersweet,” said Criscione, a senior. “Very happy about the win but I’m really sad it’s over. I wish we could come back next year.”
Falmouth swept doubles by identical scores of 6-2, 6-1, with Abby Payson and Steffi Rothweiler at No. 1 and Katie Ryan and Marlena Lantos at No. 2.
“It’s been a special group of girls,” said Falmouth Coach Sandy Stone, who has five seniors. “They went 2-3-4 in state singles, and first and second in Western Maine Conference doubles. When am I ever going to have a team like that again?”
Coach Jill Cristan of Waterville (15-1) said her team looked forward to the challenge of meeting Falmouth again for the title.
“We love playing them,” she said. “It’s totally different from our regular season. They pace the ball differently. They’re hard-hitting. It’s great tennis.”
Noting the four seniors in Falmouth’s starting lineup to only one for the Purple Panthers, Cristan said she looks forward to next spring.
“We still have a young team,” she said. “Our score here didn’t truly reflect our play. We were in there on every point.”
In Class C, Waynflete (11-5) clinched a second straight state title with straight-set victories by Emily White (6-3, 6-1) and Hilary Niles (6-0, 6-3) in singles, and Abby Cough and Sophie Raffel (6-2, 6-1) at No. 2 doubles.
George Stevens (14-3) won in three sets at No. 1 doubles and, after surviving one match point, at No. 2 singles. That’s where Charlotte Reiter of the Mariners and Emily Trafton of Waynflete agreed to play a 10-point tiebreaker after splitting sets because the overall outcome was no longer in doubt.
Reiter won, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 10-6.
“They really gelled as a team,” said Waynflete Coach Linda Cohen, whose squad started 0-3.
Staff Writer Glenn Jordan can be contacted at 791-6425 or at:
gjordan@pressherald.com
Twitter: GlennJordanPPH
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