LEWISTON — The top-ranked Lewiston girls tennis team sailed to a smooth 5-0 win over Hampden Academy in a Class A North regional quarterfinal match Thursday.
Afterwards, coach Anita Murphy said her team continues to get better as the season goes on.
“I saw some nice improvements from the girls today,” Murphy said. “I thought they were a little bit more patient and they played the wind very well. At first, they had a rough time, but I was pleased with the way they played today. Not because they won, they won pretty easily, but because I saw some nice shots made.”
By the time No. 1 singles player Julia Svor hit the court, the Blue Devils (11-0) had already clinched the match. She made short work of Elise Linn, winning 6-2, 6-1.
After a defeat in the Round of 16 in the state singles tournament last Saturday, Svor went back to the drawing board this week.
“I just had to keep practicing,” Julia Svor said. “I (knew) I had to work on my serve, and my forehand needed to get better overall. I just practiced.”
Svor’s sister, Abby, Lewiston’s No. 2 singles player, also won in straight sets, winning 6-1, 6-0 over Mikiko Frey.
Abby Svor, who was bounced out in the Round of 32 in the singles tournament, said she was confident heading into the team playoffs.
“I (felt) like I needed to play better than I was (last weekend),” Abby Svor said. “I knew if I was playing like that it wasn’t to go well (today).”
Abby Svor won in straight sets, but Frey put up a fight as the two traded points, especially in first set.
“She was winning points, but she wasn’t winning games,” Hampden Academy coach Rich Nutter said. “The girl she was playing was terrific and she knew how to get the big points, and you are going to add up those games really quickly.”
Overall, Nutter thought his team played well especially with eight of the 11 players on the roster being underclassmen.
Lewiston’s Maddy Foster defeated Teodora Blejeru in No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-0.
In No. 1 doubles, Molly Chicoine and Roslynn Wailus defeated Regan Robinson and Claire Nickels 6-1, 6-0. In No. 2 doubles Jillian Pelletier and Lauren Foster defeated Anna Baldwin and Sarah Gass 6-0, 6-2.
The Blue Devils will take on No. 4 Messalonskee Eagles (10-3) in the regional semifinals Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Lewiston High School.
The Blue Devils know it’s win-or-go-home season.
“(Murphy) always says that the playoffs are a different season,” Molly Chicoine said. “We try to have a different mindset. Going into the playoffs undefeated doesn’t matter because it’s a new season for us.”
LEWISTON BOYS CRUISE
The No. 2 Lewiston boys will also be hosting a regional semifinal match after defeating the No. 7 Mt. Ararat Eagles 4-1 in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
As with the girls, there wasn’t much drama in the boys contest other than the No. 2 singles match, in which Lewiston’s Ben St. Laurent battle back from a 4-1 deficit against Zander Chown in the first set to win the set 7-5 before taking the second set 6-1.
“I started to get use to his serve and I started to realize where to place it on him,” St. Laurent said. “I found his weakness and kept hitting it there.”
The Eagles won their only match in No. 1 singles when Matt Mosher defeated Caden Smith 6-4 and 10-4 in the second set as they went to pro set scoring because the team match had already been decided.
“I just kept getting the ball back and being consistent, making sure every shot was either in or a place he couldn’t hit back,” Mosher said.
Sam Frechette won No. 3 singles for the Blue Devils (12-1), defeating Alex Liva 6-1 in straight sets.
Jacob Smith and Hayden Bavis won No. 1 doubles 6-2, 6-1 over Nathan Kofroth and Will San Pedro. In No. 2 doubles, Ethan Weiss and Jeremy Hepler defeated Landon Weaver and Luke Curnin 6-2, 6-3.
Due the singles tournament last weekend, it had been a while since Lewiston’s doubles teams competed. The Blue Devils did play Wednesday in the KVAC championship, in which they defeated Camden Hills 4-1, but prior to Wednesday, the last match was May 20.
Smith said he liked the layoff.
“We got to rest up a little bit, which I thought it was great for me,” Smith said. “Yesterday for KVACs my serves were going in great. I thought it was a great rest, I definitely needed it.”
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