2014 Journal Tribune Girls Tennis Co-Players of the Year: Thornton Academy’s Eva Sachs and Grace Pickering

The Thornton Academy girls tennis team graduated a big chunk of its team a year ago, but head coach Randy Hibbard said he did have some talent coming back. What Hibbard didn’t know was just how good two of his youngest players would be, as his team finished an unexpected 10-2 and advanced to its first Western Maine semifinals.

Freshman Eva Sachs and sophomore Grace Pickering outplayed both their ages and expectations, and their performance on the court all season earns them the distinction of 2014 Journal Tribune Girls Tennis Co-Players of the Year.

“Both of them just play so great,” said Hibbard. “They really pushed everybody on the team. They pushed their teammates to play their best.”

Sachs and Pickering’s first achievement was earning their respective singles spots of No. 1 and No. 3. Hibbard said they battled senior Alyssa DeMario and junior Emily Ribaudo for two of the three spots. DeMario secured the No. 2 singles spot, while Ribaudo teamed up with fellow junior Emily Harris on a very good No. 2 doubles team.

Sachs may have been playing her first year of high school tennis, but as a year-round player, she came with plenty of experience.

“She really works on her game a lot, and was able to step in on a team that ”¦ we didn’t return too many really varsity-experienced players, and was able to elevate her game and step into that No. 1 role,” Hibbard said of Sachs.

Sachs went 9-3 during the regular season, with the lone losses coming against the No. 1 players from Portland, Windham and Scarborough ”“ three of the best teams in the SMAA.

Her year started with a bang, beating Sanford senior Kathryn Doiron in the season-opening match.

“She started the season well, and got her confidence going, and it just continued all season,” said Hibbard.

The same can be said for Pickering, who had an eye-opening freshman season the year before. Pickering lost many more matches than she won in 2013, but improved immensely in 2014, going 11-0 in the regular season.

“She did a pretty good job at a varsity level last year, not really having the varsity experience there. And she learned a lot that year,” said Hibbard. “Even though she struggled record-wise, she was able to learn from ”¦ wins and losses both, and was able to be a real solid No. 3 player, being undefeated this year, for us.”

Pickering’s maturity showed in the regular-season finale, as she rebounded from a bad first set to beat Scarborough’s Hayley Lawsure. Despite their youth, Hibbard said both players were leaders on the team, as their play set a winning mentality for the other players.

What made them stand out?

“Being able to lead the team all the way through the season, stay so consistent, and get their teammates up for the big matches,” Hibbard said. “They just led by example, worked hard every single day at practice. And the team learned from them.”

This season was just the start for the dynamic duo, who Hibbard said will most likely hold down the top two spots on a team that will return all but DeMario.

“They’re proven winners,” said Hibbard. “It’s going to be nice with those two coming back.”

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.

Honorable Mention

”¢  Misa Mai, Sanford

”¢  Paige Tranchemontagne, Sanford

”¢  Alex Boudreau and Carissa Gelinas, Biddeford