Tennis
Oyster River downs rival Portsmouth in Division II semifinal; will face Souhegan for title
DURHAM – Entering Tuesday’s Division II semifinal match between the top-seeded and undefeated Oyster River High School girls tennis team and No. 4 Portsmouth, the Bobcats’ No. 1 singles player Sophie Gibson had never beaten the Clippers’ No. 1 Sophia Jundi.
The senior picked a good time to turn the tables as her victory in their latest head-to-head match-up was part of a singles sweep as Oyster River downed Seacoast rival Portsmouth, 8-1, to advance to Wednesday’s Division II championship match.
“I’ve played (Jundi) since sophomore year,” Gibson said. “Every single match we’ve had has always been very close, so I was expecting that today.”
“She dug deep,” said Oyster River coach Lynne Corson. “That was very pivotal.”
Who will Oyster River face for Division II championship?
Oyster River 16-0) will try to defend their title against No. 2 Souhegan (15-1) on Wednesday at the Dover High School courts at 4 p.m.
The teams did not meet during the regular season although the Sabers only loss came against Portsmouth, 5-4, on May 14. Souhegan defeated No. 3 Winnacunnet, 8-1, in Tuesday’s other semifinal.
Singles scores from semifinal win
After squandering an early lead Gibson had to come from behind to beat Jundi, 9-7. The win gave Oyster River a 4-0 lead. Oyster River’s Siena Shaier’s 8-5 triumph over Lindsey Lee at No. 5 singles clinched the match.
“To me it was really important how I played instead of winning,” Gibson said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to win so today I decided to hit like I do in practice. I put a lot of power in my shots and kind of changed up like how I would normally play. I focused more on how I played than the score.”
Trailing 6-5, the Bobcats’ No. 2 player Clea Gibson had to rally for an 8-6 win over Portsmouth’s Avery Porter. Jundi and Porter teamed up for a 9-7 victory over the Gibsons for the Clippers’ only point.
“Clea’s match was also pivotal,” Corson said. “That was a tough one. Avery is always a big challenge for her. No. 1 and No. 2 were huge. Siena’s was a tough match too. She had a big jump, but her opponent Lindsey (Lee) came fighting back. Portsmouth wanted it too. It was not easy on those girls.”
Oyster River defeated Portsmouth (11-5) twice during the regular season, 6-3 both times. In other singles matches on Tuesday Oyster River’s Kathryn Demarest beat Portsmouth’s Elyse White, 8-0, at No. 3; Sofia Karageorgos defeated Portsmouth’s Clara Daw, 8-4, at No. 4; and Oyster River’s Jessica Li stopped Portsmouth’s Anna Syphers, 8-1, at No. 6.
“Oyster River is very deep and tough,” said Portsmouth coach Wendy Poutre. “It’s hard to find inroads and ways to beat them. They’re so steady and they’ve been playing for years. Experience counts for so much and depth is very, very crucial. They have a great team and they’ll be tough to take out in the state championship.”
Oyster River takes two of three in doubles
In doubles, Oyster River’s Demarest and Karageorgos defeated Portsmouth’s White and Daw, 8-0, at No. 2, and Shaier and Li downed Lee and Syphers, 8-4.
Sophie Gibson’s match against Jundi was a back-and-forth affair before Gibson regrouped to pull it out. Gibson took an early 4-1 before Jundi won four straight games to take a 5-4 lead.
“Sofie (Gibson) was bothered by the heat so we got her some cold towels and tried to get her mental game back and get her focusing again,” Corson said. “She dug deep. It was a big match. When she won I think that lifted the whole team up because we all knew that was a tough match. If she could win I think it helped everyone else too.”
Oyster River had a big edge in experience with five of its top six players seniors while Portsmouth returns five of its top six next year.
“We’ll get there,” Poutre said. “We’re going to keep grinding away. All this experience is great. I’m really happy with the way our girls competed.”
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