Girls Tennis: Gorham routs Windham, 5-0

WINDHAM — The Lady Rams flexed their tennis muscle vs. The Lady Eagles on Thursday afternoon, May 23: Gorham routed their hosts 5-0 to finish their regular season at 8-4, a record that places them fifth as the bracketing gets underway.

Windham, meanwhile, slipped to 4-8. The Eagles will enter the playoffs in 11th, the last berth.

“They were just a stronger team,” Windham head coach Katy Dresnok said of the opposition.

At first singles, Gorham’s Jocelyn Bolt – recently returned from an injury and looking fiery – bested Delia Inman of Windham 6-0, 6-0.

“We were missing Jocelyn for a while,” Bergeron said. “She just had her first match yesterday, and I think, with that shift, everybody having to move up, they got a lot of good practice playing up. Which makes things a little easier, when things shift back to normal. They’re doing really, really, really well; I’m really happy with how the season has gone.”

“The first match, (Bolt) just got out of an injury, so she was nice and fresh,” Dresnok said. “She had a very good command of her serve, that was so spinny and challenging.”

At second singles, Abby Emerson (Gorham) defeated Rachel Frost (Windham) 6-1, 6-2.

“Both Jocelyn and Abby have their stuff together,” Bergeron said. “Got a lot of tools in their belts. Abby’s just a little less experienced. And Jocelyn always has that power behind her, lots of strength. She improves every year, too, her maturity, her abilities.

“Abby is a freshman,” Bergeron continued. “She’s done really well, and I only expect her to improve, too. She’s got great form, she’s consistent. She doesn’t mess around.”

“Rachel did a little bit better in the second set,” Dresnok said of her No. 2. “The Emerson girl is a lefty, had really good control of the ball. It was hard for Rachel to adjust to the left-handed.”

At third singles, Hannah Dimmick (Gorham) won vs. Megan Fleck 6-2, 6-4. It was the longest match of the afternoon, and Fleck deserves credit for extending the second set.

“Megan is our volleyball player,” Dresnok said. “She’s really athletic. So she came back a little bit in the second set. She’s a really good runner; she can get to most things.”

At first doubles, Haley Burns and Izzy Kolb teamed up for the Rams to upend Eagles Sydney Nangle and Chloe McVetty 6-1, 6-3. Finally, at second doubles, Maddie Firmin and Emmeline Nelson (Gorham) took down Danielle Jones and Rebecca Hamel (Windham) 6-0, 6-1.

Gorham has boasted a strong girls tennis outfit for years now, and signs suggest their hot streak is secure for the near future. “The beginning batch of girls this year have picked it up so well,” Bergeron. “I’m really excited for them to move up to varsity. And I think a lot of girls are getting encouraged and starting to feel like, ‘Ok, I want to take lessons; I really like this.’ I’ve been lucky.”

Among the Rams’ chief advantages over the Eagles in particular may simply be experience. “One thing I want to say about these girls is: Rachel didn’t make the team her freshman year,” Dresnok said. “So this is her third year playing, and she’s at No. 2. This is Megan’s third year playing and she’s at No. 3. Chloe just picked up a racket a year ago; she’s doubles No. 1. They’re new players. They’re starting to get there, but it’s the more balls you hit. Coaching is some of it, but it’s really swinging the ball. The more balls you hit, the better.”

The Rams earn a bye through the first round of the postseason. They travel to No. 4 Thornton for the quarterfinals, tentatively on May 30. Windham, meanwhile, travels to No. 6 Kennebunk/Wells on (again, tentatively) Tuesday the 28th.

Adam Birt can be reached at abirt@keepmecurrent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CurrentSportsME.