When asked to describe what type of tennis player Clio Barr is, one word quickly came to mind for Hall-Dale coach Guy Cousins.

“Relentless.”

Barr went 12-2 this season for the Bulldogs in helping the team capture the Mountain Valley Conference championship. Her only losses came against St. Dominic Academy’s Bethany Hammond, the runner-up at this year’s state tournament, and North Yarmouth Academy’s Lena Rich, who defeated Barr in the Round of 32.

For her efforts this season, Barr has been named the 2015 Kennebec Journal Girls Tennis Player of the Year.

“Over the four years she has just become this incredibly consistent player,” Cousins said. “Initially she was a solid, consistent player but really didn’t take advantage of points when they presented themselves. She developed a much more aggressive attacking style.”

Barr wrapped up her career with a 45-11 record at Hall-Dale and took over the No. 1 singles spot in her sophomore season. She was a four-time, first-team all-conference selection and twice qualified for the Round of 48. Barr said more than the individual achievements, though, she will most fondly remember the team’s success during her time at Hall-Dale.

“I’m really proud of our team and how the season went,” Barr said. “We worked really hard and played some great tennis.

“(Winning the MVC title) was one of our team goals going into this season, to play at the level where we’d be able to accomplish that. We were very excited and it was also against a really great team. We knew Winthrop was going to be tough. We knew we really had to step up our game to play against them.”

According to Cousins, Barr made strides each year she was with the Bulldogs, particularly in playing with confidence.

“The only way you develop confidence is through play. We really wanted to make sure she got exposed to as high a level of play as possible,” Cousins said. “We always kind of prided ourselves that we make our practices as competitive as we can.

“She lived and breathed that, and loved it because she was a competitor. She never quit. She never stopped playing. It was just a matter of building the confidence and consistency of it.”

Barr also credited the reopening of A-COPI Tennis and Sports Center in Augusta — where she worked part-time — with helping her to hone her skills this past winter. Barr said she did a few high school clinics, as well as hit from time to time with one the instructors, Sherry Norton.

“This winter I was able to work inside, playing several times a week,” Barr said. “That was very helpful for me to have that close by, as well as just the help from my coaches.”

Barr will attend Bates College in the fall, but is unsure about her future in tennis. She said she plans to continue to play at least recreationally, but has not given much thought into trying out for the team.

Evan Crawley — 621-5640

ecrawley@mainetoday,com

Twitter: @Evan_Crawley

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