SACO — Last year was a bit of a surprise for the Thornton Academy girls tennis team. The Trojans went 10-2 and advanced to the regional semifinals a year after finishing 2-10.

They won’t be sneaking up on anybody this year.

“This is going to be a very good team. Six out of seven girls back, and then we got a dorm student who’s moving in to play a singles spot. Doubles, the same four are back from last year,” said Thornton head coach Randy Hibbard. “We’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

The Trojans only lost No. 2 singles player Alyssa DeMario ”“ who brought veteran leadership to a young team ”“ from last year’s squad. All the returning players now bring their own experience that wasn’t there last year.

“Every match you learn and you learn and learn. More varsity experience the better it is,” said Hibbard. “Some of the kids are athletes in other sports ”“ the girls soccer team, the field hockey team ”“ where they have success, they know that winning combination, and that’s actually a lot of it. You learn to win.

“If you’re down 5-4 in a set and you come back and win 7-5, you learn to focus those next three games and be able to come back and win those matches. It’s not intuitive ”“ they learn it. I’ve benefited from it and the team benefited from it.”

Both singles player Grace Pickering and doubles player Ashley Houp played on the TA field hockey team that made it to the Western Maine semifinals this past fall. Another doubles player, Katie Senechal, made it to the same round with the girls soccer team.

No. 1 singles player Eva Sachs didn’t play on another school team that went to the playoffs, but Hibbard said he expects her to be even better than she was during her standout freshman season last year.

“She played in the offseason. I think her game is up quite a bit,” Hibbard said of Sachs. “She’s definitely climbing the ladder in the SMAA. She’s a top three or four player in the league. It’s nice when you can walk on (the court) and you know eight or nine times you’ve got a point walking on the court. Even just as a sophomore she’s one of the elite players in the league.”

Sachs went 9-3 individually last year, losing to the top singles players from Portland, Windham and Scarborough ”“ three teams that are perennial contenders and who Hibbard expects to be in the mix at the end again this year.

Pickering won all 11 of her regular season matches as a sophomore last year and is battling newcomer Iaryna Iasenytska for the No. 2 singles spot.

The two doubles pairs are still up in the air, but Hibbard said no matter what the combinations end up being, he likes his chances from those two spots.

“It’s a mix. I have 1 and 1A, because each team they’re good doubles teams. Other coaches have commented on how well they play. They’re good. They’re going to be tough to beat,” said Hibbard. “It’s a nice problem to have.”

Hibbard said he thinks he has another double-digit win team this year, but it’s the last of his team’s regular-season matches that has him the most intrigued.

The Trojans will play Scarborough, one of the two teams to beat Thornton last year, and who the Trojans gained a lot of confidence in defeat against.

“Scarborough is going to probably be the best of the best; they have all seven back. So the last match of the year will be a lot of fun,” said Hibbard.

The young Trojans didn’t know what to expect heading into last year. Now, it’s all about expectations.

“They can see the talent. They know they’re going to be good. I think mentally I’ve got to reel them down a little,” said Hibbard. “I think it’s going to be another stellar year for us.”

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.