Players and coaches have come down from the high produced by spring temperatures well into the 80s. This past week is more typical of spring weather in Maine, perhaps even a little colder and windier than normal. No sport is more affected by these conditions than tennis, especially when it comes to wind.

“It was a  month ago, I was all jacked up,” Maranacook boys coach Mike Morin said. “I said ‘here we go, what a season.’ Now it’s back to reality.”

Unless temperatures dip really low, players usually warm up once they get into a match. Strong wind just makes it seem colder and the ball more difficult to control.

“(The strategy) when it’s windy and cold is to keep the ball low and get it done,” Waterville girls coach Jill Cristan said. “Short rallies are very important.”

  Hall-Dale girls coach Guy Cousins points out that both teams are affected by the elements and maintaining a strong mental approach is a key.

“You have to take a lot off the ball with the wind,” Cousins said. “It’s equally challenging receiving the ball. Each player has to make their own adjustments and not get frustrated by it.”

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The Waterville girls return six of seven players from a team that reached the Class B state championship last year. The Purple Panthers are 3-0 after Saturday’s 4-1 win against Belfast and they did it without two of their better players, Jayme and Brittany Saulter, who missed the match due to a prior commitment.

Junior Melanie Bureau stepped into the No. 3 singles spot in Jayme’s absence and  played well, according Coach Cristan .

Sophomores Colleen O’Donnell and Olivia Lopes are playing in the No. 1 and 2 singles positions, respectively, while Lauren Hallenbeck and Emily Dufour play No. 1 doubles. Some of the lineup will change with the return of the Saulters.

“We’ve really been working on our serves,” Cristan said. “That was our weakness last year.”

The Purple Panthers were a little awestruck when they faced Falmouth in the state finals last spring and lost 5-0. Cristan hopes that will change with a little more maturity, although the team still has just one senior on its roster.

“The eye opener for us was when we got to the states,” she said. “We weren’t an attack team. We didn’t have the pass that they had.”

The Panthers will likely play their toughest match of the season on May 14 when they host Camden Hills, but they are staying sharp in practice.

“I feel like our practices are stronger than our matches,” Cristan said.

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The Maranacook boys play a pivotal match Thursday when they host Camden Hills. Both teams recently defeated Oceanside by 3-2 scores, but Camden played without its No. 2 singles player.
Both teams are off to 2-0 starts.

“Thursday’s going to be a big one,” Coach Morin said.

Morin is looking forward to the matchup of No. 1 singles players, Jason LaPorte for Maranacook and Evan Drinkwater for the Windjammers.

Both recently lost in straight sets to Oceanside senior Jordan Doutreluigne, an exchange student from Belguim.

“He’ll probably end up being one of the top 10 guys in the state,” Morin said of Doutreluigne. “Everything is very solid and his placement is very good.”

The Black Bears return most of a lineup that went 9-3 in the regular season last spring.

Matt Surette has moved into the No. 2 position while Sam Bryant has jumped from doubles last year to No. 3 singles. Both are seniors.

Sophomores Kelby Mace and Alec Daigle, who went unbeaten at No. 2 doubles last season, have moved up to the No. 1 position.

“These kids have been together a few years,” Morin said.

“They were all new to tennis when they came in. Last year they started talking about this year being their year.”

• • •

The Hall-Dale girls graduated some key players from a team that went unbeaten in the Mountain Valley Conference last year.

But they return MVC Player of the Year Wendy Goldman at No. 1 singles and have acquired some strong players. They include freshmen Clio Barr and Nicole Pelletier and senior Jana Parsons, who studied in France last year. Barr is playing No. 2 singles.

“I heard about her last year,” Coach Cousins said. “She has great technical skills. She also plays soccer and her footwork is really good.”

Junior Shelby McGibney is playing No. 2 singles while Parsons and Pelletier are in the No. 1 doubles spot. Sophomore Maura Stottler and junior Anais Truman play No. 2 doubles. The Bulldogs, who are off to a 2-0 start, play four matches this week, beginning with today’s match at Wiscasset.

Drop shots . . . Hall-Dale is hosting an invitational tournament for boys and girls singles and doubles teams May 5 at the high school. An entry fee of $5 guarantees at least two matches and a T-shirt. For more information and to register contact Dan Bence at 588-0402 . . . The Falmouth girls are off to a 3-0 start, extending their consecutive match win streak to 60.  The four-time defending Class B state champs lost just one player from last year’s team . . . Tom LeBlond has replaced Lewiston boys coach Ron Chicoine, whose teams won eight of the last nine Class A state titles . . . The Lewiston girls, who have won six Class A state championships in a row, lost their first match of the season 4-1 at home to Brunswick.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com