HALLOWELL — For the third time in four years, Hall-Dale’s boys and girls tennis teams are the undisputed kings and queens of the Mountain Valley Conference.
The Bulldogs swept Wednesday’s MVC championships on their home courts. The unbeaten boys won their third consecutive conference title, outlasting Boothbay, 3-2. The undefeated girls followed with a convincing 5-0 victory over Winthrop. For their seniors, it is the third championship in four years and redemption for falling to St. Dom’s in last year’s championship.
“It’s pretty much been a goal for us every single year, ever since I was a freshman,” said senior second singles Nicole Pelletier. “Last year didn’t happen, but our freshmen and sophomore year(s) we won.”
Hall-Dale’s doubles teams set the tone with wins in straight sets. Second doubles Alex Guiou and Nat Crocker handled Ricky Spear and Joseph DiMauro easily, 6-0, 6-1. First doubles Malcolm Avore and Thomas Plourde had a tougher time with Collin Thompson and Duncan Drapeau. The duo had to rally from an early 4-0 hole in a hard-fought 6-4, 7-5 victory.
“We just kept hitting it to the kid at the net. After we decided that was a bad idea, we started to hit it to the long guy and started stitching some good points,” Avore said.
“We played them before and they were pretty challenging,” added Plourde, who hasn’t lost a match with his partner this season, “but this was even harder today, especially in the heat and everything.”
Hall-Dale needed second singles Bryson Camp to come back from down 5-3 in the first set to clinch the third point with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 win over Dan Drummond.
“I thought my kids hung tough and played really well,” said Hall-Dale coach Dan Bence, whose team had five new players this year. “My doubles, especially, came through, and Bryson Camp at number two singles. He had a tough match.”
All three singles matches went three sets. Boothbay’s Nick Gorey rallied down a set to defeat Andy Peterson in first singles, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2. Ray Perry took the third singles match for the Seahawks, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 over Jacob Young.
The girls also got a jump start from their doubles squads. First doubles Autumn St. Pierre and Thea Sweet knocked off Winthrop’s Corinna Coulton and Olivia Audet, 6-3, 6-3. Second doubles Addie Davis and Rose Warren then defeated Hayley Choate and Katrianna Hajduk, 7-5, 7-5.
Pelletier dominated her first set in the twilight with Celeste Hannum, 6-0, then had to rally under the lights to win the second set, 6-4, to clinch the title.
“In the first set, there was still some light in the sky, so I could see really well,” she said. “But (in the second set) if my mind wasn’t super-focused on the ball at times, I couldn’t even see it.”
Clio Barr defeated Megan Chamberland in first singles, 6-3, 6-2, while Rio Yokokawa outlasted Sarah Spahr in a marathon third singles match, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
“The girls have worked hard to earn this,” said Hall-Dale coach Guy Cousins, whose team beat Winthrop 5-0,last Friday. “Winthrop really brought it today. They raised their game for this and the girls have really earned this victory. This is great, entertaining tennis to watch and the atmosphere is even more enjoyable.”
Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638
rwhitehouse@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @RAWmaterial33
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