We’ve been Driving with Miss Maisie for several years now, watching a then-precocious 10-year-old compete in a myriad of youth tennis tournaments and events with unbridled success.

We marveled as she vaulted onto the high school scene last spring with a tradition-steeped Brunswick High School girls tennis program.

The freshman captured our attention as she went 12-0 during the regular Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference regular season at No. 1 singles. She followed that up with a 4-0 postseason mark as the Dragons fell to rival Lewiston in the Eastern Maine Class A finals.

Oh, and by the way, Maisie also finished as the runner-up in the Maine Principals Association Singles Championships, the third-seeded Silverman losing to Kennebunk’s Maria Varano, 6-2, 6-1 in the championship round.

For a solid year, she thought about and dissected that final match and vowed that she would return to center stage once again, only this time emerging victorious.

Yes, on Monday, the top-seeded Maisie continued on her road to success as she overcame a epic threehour MPA State Singles battle in the semifinals Monday morning en route to meeting second-seeded Annie Criscione of Falmouth and chisling a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory in their title match.

Spectacular drive

Driving with Miss Maisie has been spectacular, watching a talented youngster grow and mature to be the best she can be.

She is fast becoming an icon in the tennis circles and more than willing to talk about her good fortune.

First we will drive with Miss Maisie back in time, say, an hour or so after losing last year.

“I was thinking about how much I wanted it and that I was proud of myself for getting to the finals. But, also, as a freshman I wasn’t used to the nerves, the pressure and all of the people. It was hard for me to adjust to everything that was going on when I was playing.

“There was so much pressure, and, mentally I just didn’t think I was all there to completely win it like I was this year.”

“It took a while for me to overcome it and realize as to what just happened.

But, I had really wanted to win it and I just decided that I was going to train as hard as I could … and it paid off!”

And now we are driving forward in time, stopping at Colby College for three days of Memorial Weekend tennis, tennis, tennis.

There is no “I’ in TEAM, but there sure is in SINGLES and that is where Miss Maisie put all her heart, talent, pluck, veracity — you name it — on the line as the top seed.

This was no easy travel. But, she laid out a good, solid foundation.

Last summer she participated in numerous camps at Maine Pines in Brunswick, competing against other high-level players.

“I trained with a lot of people like Mike Hill (former Mt. Ararat standout and state singles champ), and I’ve done yoga to help with focusing, breathing and being mentally there. I also worked out and ran.”

Two days a week this past year she attended the Maine Pines Academy. “A lot of the top players in Maine go there and you get the opportunity to play with other people. You also do a lot of drills.”

Another two days were filled with lessons, while a fifth day was dedicated to physical training. Whew!

Let’s hear from Brunswick coach Rob Manter for a moment:

“Maisie has an incredible work ethic and commitment to tennis,” lauded Manter, also Maine Pines owner. “She loves being on the court, loves to compete, and is not afraid of putting herself on the line.

“I see improvement from a combination of physical and tactical in that she is just plain more aggressive. Last year she hit more balls on her heels, and this year she is much more pressing forward and driving through the ball. Her attitude is offense, but she does not miss a lot of balls, so she has that great combination of aggressive yet consistent. I also see a difference in mental toughness, stronger from last year. A year older, and a year more experience helps.”

As an indicator of her willingness to lay it all on the line for tennis, Maisie also stopped competing in soccer and track.

Her expectations

Going into this season, Maisie had numerous team and individual goals and expectations.

“This season it was hard because we lost a lot of seniors, but I know that a lot of people have been working really hard, like Ali Stankiewicz — she’s done so well and she’s gotten a lot better.

“And I feel that everyone is really trying to do the best they can. But, I also felt that we weren’t going to do as well as we have. Like beating (defending state champ) Lewiston 4-1 in our first match was a great shock. But, we were optimistic about how well we could do, so we kept trying really hard. I love my team.”

A loss to Lewiston in the Eastern Maine finals last year still stings. Last year’s regular-season matches were close, but won by Brunswick 3- 2 and 3-2. However, Maisie and her teammates fell in the finals to the Blue Devils, 3-2, despite being the No. 1 seed.

“But, this year we beat them 4-1 both times, so there’s more room to move around. We’ve improved and I feel our team wants it, too.”

Individually? Maisie knew exactly what she wanted in 2012.

“To win the state tournament … I have been training since middle school for the state tournament.”

She played Friday, Saturday and Monday at Colby with a bulls-eye planted firmly on her back. They all gawked and wondered. You could hear them saying, ‘Hey, there’s that Maisie Silverman girl!’ Everyone knew they had to have their ‘A’ game when they jumped on court with Maisie.

After advancing to the semifinals on Saturday there was no Sunday picnic. “I had a couple lessons to prepare and get ready, and I was also mentally preparing as well. I felt I was ready and I wanted it so much!”

The semifinal match with freshman and fifth-seeded Olivia Leavitt of Falmouth was a three-hour war.

“I’ve played her before and she’s good player. I see her at Maine Pines and she’s training a lot. I knew it was going to be a tough match, but I also knew that I was going to be the one to pull it off in the end.”

She won the first set 7-5, “But the second set was a little mentally unstable.” She lost 6-0.

“In the third set, I reminded myself how much I wanted it and that got me to the finals.”

She won 6-3.

Time to regroup

She had an hour to regroup, rehydrate, reset her bearings.

“I told myself, ‘you need to go out and play your heart out, and after you’re done, then you can be tired and sleep.’”

The second match against Criscione was equally as exhausting.

“I definitely knew it wouldn’t be easy. I won the first set 6-3 and then it was 4-6. It was 40-all in the third and I broke her serve and it was 5-4. So, it was my serve and it was 40-love me. I lost two points, 40-30, and was having problems with my second serve and being nervous.

“I missed my first serve, 5-4. Match point, second serve. I made my second serve in and I was very happy! But, I told myself that I had faith. She went in and I threw up a lob … and she missed it!”

First thought/action? “I cried, I’ve never been more happier, and I couldn’t believe I won it. Everyone gave me hugs, but I was giving everyone hugs … everyone I saw I was giving hugs.”

And, she is also quick to heap praises on her two men: father Lee and Manter.

Of her coach, Maisie was effusive. “Rob has been there so much. I don’t know if I could have pulled off states without him. There is one thing that he said to me in the changeover (Monday) when I split sets with Annie. He said ‘Maisie, you believe! You got this. This is you. You want this.’ That stayed with me throughout the third set, and I believe those words made me pull it off. I give him so much credit.”

And, dad? “I really want to give a big thanks to my dad. He’s been there over the years. And has really helped me out … there’s no way that I would be the same player without him. All the trips … he’s the man, he rocks and I love him.”

And suddenly Maisie (13-0 in singles play this spring) switches gears. It’s time to think about the team.

The top-seeded Dragons played eighth-seeded Messalonskee yesterday in the Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinals.

“I’m all for ‘team.’ And I feel in my heart that our team wants it, too. I know everyone has been training and everyone is ready for it. I feel we can do it.”

Final words from Manter? “I think her pure emotion of happiness at the end after winning the tournament was a true indicator as to how driven she is and how much she wants to be the best. I also appreciate how team-oriented she is and how much she cares about everyone else.”

Always a pleasure Driving with Miss Maisie.

GEORGE ALMASI is the Times Record sports editor. He can be reached at galmasi@timesrecord.com