SANFORD — A day after suffering a 5-0 defeat at the hands of undefeated Cheverus, the Sanford girls tennis team got back in the win column against a Biddeford team that is no pushover. The Spartans showed dominance at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, and outlasted the Tigers at No. 1 singles and doubles to win an SMAA girls tennis match 4-1 at Gowen Park Tennis Courts on Wednesday.

The Spartans’ three singles players got the hosts on the right foot, as they dropped a combined seven games in their first sets ”“ all wins. Misa Mai at No. 2 singles and Paige Tranchemontagne at No. 3 singles then made quick work in their second sets to sweep their matches. Tranchemontagne picked up a 6-4, 6-1 decision over Biddeford’s Monica Gatchalian, while Mai toppled Autumn Carey 6-2, 6-1.

“She looked very good today,” said Sanford volunteer coach Ronald Cote, the former boys tennis coach who was filling in for T. Doiron. “(It’s) just work ethic. She’s working hard; good attitude. And the thing I like: She does not get discouraged when things don’t go right. She just works harder.”

Mai’s performance came on the heels of a three-set loss to Cheverus’ Jessica Soucy ”“ the first dropped set for the Stags all season.

The marquee contest in the match did not disappoint, as Sanford’s Kathryn Doiron and Biddeford’s Michelle Cote tangled for three sets in No. 1 singles. Doiron looked like she might roll as Mai did, winning the opening set 6-1, but Cote battled back to take the second set 6-3.

Cote fell behind 3-1 in the deciding third set before cutting the deficit to 3-2, and later 5-3, by winning tie-breaking deuces.

The third time was the charm for Doiron, however, as she won the third set 6-3 after yet another deuce.

“It’s always nice when the No. 1 player wins. That’s a good indication,” said Sanford’s Cote. “She came back (after dropping the second set) and pulled it out.”

The No. 1 doubles match also went the distance, as Biddeford’s Alex Boudreau and Maggie Maloy forced a third set by rallying from a 5-3 deficit in the second to win 7-5. That only motivated Sanford’s Ciara Negron and Lauren MacPherson, who came out strong in the third set to win 6-0.

“They went out and played hard, two of them went into three sets, and they gave it their all; that’s all I can ask for,” Biddeford head coach Teri Schang said of her team. “They’re going to do what they can to try to win. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t, but they’re not going to give up.”

The match was already decided by the time the No. 2 doubles contest finished up, but that didn’t stop the Biddeford tandem of Carrisa Gelinas and Cara Boisvert from salvaging a point with a 6-2, 6-2 win.

“I was proud of them,” Schang said of her No. 2 doubles team. “It says something that they’re dedicated to the sport, and they want to win.”

Cote, a longtime coach in the Sanford community, was also proud of the players he temporarily oversaw.

“I thought the girls played very well today. Very well. This was a big match for the girls,” said Cote. “Attitude and perseverance is key. And today the kids showed it. They got down in a couple of them, they lost a set, they came back, and they worked hard.”

“I think (coach Doiron) has done a fantastic job with the girls. I’ve watched them since the beginning of the year, and they’ve really improved.”

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