LEWISTON — Maranacook Community High School second singles player Emma Wadsworth was focused on her match, but she saw what was going on around her, too. Wadsworth saw the other courts at Bates College clear, as her teammates and Carrabec finished their matches. She saw the attention suddenly focused on her third set against Carrabec’s Makayla Vicneire, and Wadsworth knew exactly for what she was playing.
“That was really nerve-wracking. I knew it all ended up on my plate, if we were going to states or if we were going home without the title,” Wadsworth said.
With her 6-2 win over Vicneire in the third set, Wadsworth clinched the Black Bears’ 3-2 victory over the Cobras and the first trip to the girls state championship tennis match in program history.
Maranacook, now 14-1, will face Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln for the Class C state championship Saturday at 12:45 p.m. at Lewiston High School. Originally scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. start, the Class C championships were swapped with the Class A matches to accommodate Maranacook’s graduation ceremony scheduled Saturday evening.
“It was two evenly matched teams, and we had a feeling that was going to be the case. It could have gone either way, it just didn’t go our way,” Carrabec assistant coach Luke Ellis said.
In the Class C South boys final, Waynflete of Portland cruised to a 5-0 win over Hall-Dale.
Wadsworth said she began feeling nervous later in her match. That’s nothing compared to the bundle of nerves her coach has carried for weeks.
“I’ve been nervous since the first match of the season,” Maranacook coach Lou Gingras said. “It’s a pleasure to be here. There’s a lot of teams that wanted to be there.”
Photo by Jennifer Bechard Carrabec first singles player Katrina Mason returns a shot to Maranacook’s Madelyn Dwyer during the Class C South championship Thursday afternoon at Bates College in Lewiston.
GOING THE DISTANCE: Wadsworth’s match was one of two that went three sets.
Maranacook first singles player Madelyn Dwyer took a 6-0 win over Katrina Mason in the first set, before Mason evened the match with a 6-3 win. In the third set, Dwyer rebounded for a 6-4 win. The match squared the overall match at two wins apiece, setting up Wadsworth and Vicneire’s winner-take-all third set.
“The key for me is staying really consistent. We were both really consistent players, so it was trying to keep it going, let her make the mistake so I could finish it off. Coming up to the net was key for me, too,” Dwyer said.
Dwyer said she was surprised to take a 6-0 win over Mason in the first set.
“She had a bye in the first round. She was top 32 (of the state singles tournament). So I was going into it like, I knew I’d have to work really hard,” Dwyer said.
Wadsworth lost her first set to Vicneire, 6-1, before taking the second set 6-3. In the third set, Wadsworth made sure to pay attention to her serves.
“I was focusing on making sure I was getting all my serves in and getting them deep. She had a harder time returning them when they were deeper on the court,” she said. “I was really nervous. This is such a big deal for us. This is the farthest we’ve ever made it, so I knew I had to play my own game and not play hers. Just go out there and get the job done.”
The Black Bears also earned a win at third singles from Karissa Lucas, 6-1, 6-2, over Maddie Hughes. Both Carrabec (12-1) victories came in the doubles matches. Kelsey Creamer and Skylar Chipman defeated Grace Batchelder and Anna Swimm in first doubles, 6-4, 6-1. In second doubles, Annika Carey and Skye Welch won 6-4, 7-5 over Helen Murray-James and Emma Hatt.
“I’m very proud of them. We haven’t had a match that close in a while,” Carrabec head coach Nora Ellis said.
Photo by Jennifer Bechard Hall-Dale’s Eli Spahn stretches for shot in a singles match against Waynflete opponent Nick Wagg Thursday afternoon during the MPA Team Tennis Championships at Bates College.
CLASS C BOYS: In the Class C South boys match, Waynflete (15-0) lost just three games to Hall-Dale to advance to the state final, where the Flyers will take on Mattanawcook. Waynflete will play for its 11th consecutive state title.
Thomas Kieffer defeated MacKenzie Creamer at first singles, 6-0, 6-0. In the second singles match, Jacob Greene also won 6-0, 6-0, beating Isaac Lawrence. Nick Wagg took the third singles match, 6-1, 6-0 over Eli Spahn. At first doubles, Aidan Kieffer and Ben Aday beat Neil Stottler and Orion Bittues, 6-0, 6-1. Shuhau Liu and Cooper Sherman won at second doubles, 6-0, 6-1, over Eli Page and Colby Gardner. Hall-Dale ended the season at 11-2.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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