Brunswick, Waterville girls tennis claim Northern Maine titles
WATERVILLE — The Brunswick High School girls tennis team has built a dynasty in Northern Maine, and the Dragons showed Monday why they're the team to beat heading into the state finals.
Brunswick captured its fifth Class A North regional title in the past six seasons with a 4-1 victory over Brewer at Colby College, earning a trip to Wednesday's state championship match against Falmouth at Bates College. The Dragons' dominated from the start, with their top two singles players rolling to decisive victories before the matches got interesting.
Molly Tefft, a state singles semifinalist last month, defeated Brewer's Julia Spencer 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles. Ellie Meserve matched that dominant performance at second singles, topping Delaney McDonough by the same 6-2, 6-0 margin.
"We really have two No. 1 players on our team, and we're very fortunate to have that," Brunswick coach Josh Levy said. "They compete against each other in practice, and they compete against the boys in practice. They're good human beings, and they're a pleasure to coach."
The remainder of the afternoon proved far more dramatic. Brunswick needed all three of its remaining victories to secure the regional crown, and each came down to the wire. The third singles, first doubles, and second doubles matches all required third sets, with the title ultimately sealed when Caroline Martin and May Wickwire topped Brewer's Izzie Long and Sayde Persaud 6-2, 4-6, 6-0 in second doubles.
"It was very stressful," Tefft said. "It always seems to happen at regionals and states — it's very close. ... It was 4-1 as well when we played Brewer in the regular season — a very similar result to today — so we knew they were going to be a tough opponent."
Lila Patient provided the fourth point with a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11) victory over Lydia Jordan at No. 3 singles. Brewer's Gabby Chasse and Reese McKenney nearly forced a decisive match, winning the first set 4-6 before Brunswick's team battled back to win the first doubles showdown 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (9).
Brewer finished its season with a 10-5 record.
While Brunswick was claiming the Class A crown, Waterville was staging its own dramatic comeback across town. The Purple Panthers topped Presque Isle 3-2 in Class B North, with their doubles teams making the difference against a Wildcats squad that had dominated eastern Maine all season.
The Panthers' Nina Mitchell and Gwen Lord opened with a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 2 doubles. Hannah Zeimetz then clinched the winning point at No. 3 singles, rallying from a tight first set to defeat Karpi Griffeth 6-4, 6-0.
Brooklyn Hart and Ava Martin added another point at No. 2 doubles, topping Payton Monahan and Meredith House 6-3, 6-1. Waterville's Piper Hamilton lost at No. 1 singles, but the damage had already been done.
"Honestly, I feel like we really didn't know what to expect," Hart said. "We knew we were capable, but we thought it was going to be a hard fight. It was, but we made it through, and that was fulfilling. ... I think we worked harder than we could have imagined, and we're going to come right back and do it again."
Presque Isle's Alice Korzekwa won the final match 6-1, 6-1, handing the Wildcats their first loss to a Class B opponent all season. The Wildcats finished 12-3, with both previous defeats coming against Brewer in late May.
Waterville advances to Wednesday's Class B state final against Cape Elizabeth at Bates College. The Panthers enter that matchup with an impressive 14-1 record.
