Brunswick struck first against Lewiston on Saturday, but the Dragons’ lead — and title hopes — didn’t last long.
Visiting Lewiston answered an early Brunswick match win at No. 1 doubles with a pair of wins from No. 1 singles player Cole Ouellette and No. 2 doubles pair Kyle Morin and Sam Zashut to regain the lead, and a dominant performance from No. 2 singles player Timo Teckenberg sealed the 4-1 Blue Devils victory.
“It’s a great team, great, great group of guys from Lewiston,” Brunswick coach Sewall Janeway said. “I told my team they were great, and we had a good time. Their coach … is a real class act, so I wish them the best of the luck.”
It was the third meeting of the year for the two teams, which both closed the regular season with 9-3 records, and the familiarity was obvious early. Luke Estabrook and Ben Lord of Brunswick lost to Lewiston’s Ben Ferrence and Reid Pomerleau in each of the previous meetings, but Saturday, the third time was the charm and helped the host Dragons to an early advantage.
The duo rebounded quickly from an early Blue Devils break and took a 3-1 lead that quickly turned into six games in a row and the set.
“Both of our serves were super on today,” Estabrook said. “We were getting most of our first serves in.”
“First doubles played the best I’ve seen them play,” Janeway said.
It was 5-0 in the second set before Ferrence and Pomerleau battled back for two straight games, but Estabrook and Lord quickly served out the match in the eighth game, cementing the 6-1, 6-2 win.
The No. 2 doubles match between Morin and Zashut of Lewiston and Brunswick’s Wyatt Slocum and Jackson Gordon was a true battle in the second set. The Blue Devils comfortably took the first set 6-2, but found themselves down 4-1 in the second after two straight breaks from the Dragons. Morin and Zashut bore down and won five straight games to clinch the match.
“Really proud of our guys today,” LeBlond said. “Especially our second doubles. They lost last time to Brunswick pretty handily, and they came back. Also coming back in the second set, being down 4-1 and just powered through. It was a good effort.”
Singles control
Brunswick No. 1 singles player Dasol Kim, who knocked of Ouellette the last time they played, grabbed an early break and took a 3-2 lead in the first set of the match. Ouellette responded with a break of his own and eventually earned the opportunity to serve out the set at 5-4, which he promptly capitalized on.
“They’ve had quite a rivalry this year,” Janeway said. “They split matches the first two times we’ve met and Cole outpowered him. Cole’s a very good player all-around — he’s good on his feet, he’s got great shot selection, and he just took care of him in that second set.”
“I knew if I could close it out, it’d give me more leeway in the second set,” Ouellette said. “I could go for more first serves, have a little bit more leeway with my shots.”
The long rallies and back-and-forth service games died down in the second set, where Ouellette quickly erased an early Kim break with three of his own to cruise to a 6-4, 6-1 win.
“I tried to get a good first return and then come to the net,” Ouellette said. “He (Kim) made a lot of good passing shots, but I had to test his forehand.”
“Cole (Oullette) played really well,” LeBlond said. “When he’s moving well, he plays really well. He needs to get into a rhythm and he really did. Cole’s a real smart player.”
Teckenberg gave JD Souza fits in the No. 2 singles match, rolling to a pair of 6-1 sets. The Blue Devils’ No. 2 set the tone with two breaks of Souza in his first service game and controlled the tempo from there. Teckenberg, who LeBlond said is “very even” with Ouellette at No. 1, earned his third singles win of the season against Brunswick.
Eric Hall edged out Brunswick’s No. 3 Lincoln Sullivan in a tight first set, and the two picked up where they left off in the second. Sullivan, who earned two breaks in the opening set, was serving 2-3 on serve when he retired. The decision clinched the match for Lewiston.
Lewiston girls cruise
LEWISTON — Not long after the boys clinched their match on the road, the Lewiston High School girls’ tennis team followed suit at home against hampden Academy.
The top-seeded Blue Devils swept the Broncos, 5-0, to return to the Northern Class A final for the second consecutive year.
All three Lewiston singles players won in straight sets. Maddi Roy toppled Kelly Martin 6-3, 6-4 at first singles; Alanna Taylor outslugged Melissa Reichel, 6-4, 7-5 at No. 2; and Lizzy Michaud breezed past Aubra Linn, 6-1, 6-4, at third singles.
Maddie LeBlond and Chloe Morin earned the win at No. 1 doubles over tamara Hathorn and Elise Linn, 6-1, 6-3, while at No. 2 doubles, Corinne Laberge and Sierra Melanson of Lewiston squeaked past Gillian Whynot and Emma Turlo, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-6 (1).
Brunswick edges Mt. Blue
The Blue Devils will face nemesis Brunswick in the Northern Class A final after the Dragons got past Mt. Blue in their semifinal on Saturday morning.
Mt. Blue’s Eryn Doiron and Sophie Swain overpowered the Dragons’ Kira Walpow and Cassie Ridge at Nos. 1 and 2 singles, respectively, but Brunswick earned match wins from Elizabeth Day at No. 3 singles, and from both of its doubles teams.
The match of the day was at No. 2 doubles, where Sabina Smith and Rae Bamberger of Brunswick toppled Lilly Kendall and Sierra Hoes of Mt. Blue in three sets to clinch the match.
Saints fall to Bulldogs
Hall-Dale-s top three were too much for St. Dom’s in the Class C South regional final Saturday.
The Saints’ Noah Toussaint battled through three sets with the Bulldogs’ Andy Peterson before falling late, and Malcom Avore and Jacob Crockett pf Hall-Dale each recorded straight-set victories over their St. Dom’s counterparts for the match victory.
Cliff Greco and Elliot Hachey gave St. Dom’s its only point of the match at No. 2 doubles with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ean Smith and Mackenzie Creamer
Alex Guiou and Josh Benner of Hall-Dale defeated Matt Boulet and Cam Jalbert, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the other doubles matchup.
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