WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — New roster, new expectations, same goal for Lebanon girls tennis.
The fourth-seeded Raiders began their defense of the NHIAA Division III title with a 7-2 win over visiting fifth seed Profile on a blustery, partly cloudy Thursday afternoon at the Maxfield Sports Complex.
Lebanon trailed 2-1 after a close loss in the No. 3 singles match, but crucially equalized with an 8-6 win from Peyton Breedlove in the No. 4 match, then won the next five matches in a row for the win. Lebanon swept the three doubles matches.
“The critical thing that went right as we were watching the 3 and 4 singles unfold, as they were going 6-5, 7-6, was that we were able to get one of those points,” said Lebanon tennis coach Rob Johnstone. “That, I think, was a psychologically massive thing.”
Lebanon returned to this season with its top two singles players, Mari Utell and Samyra Graber, both returning, as well as Breedlove. The three other singles players and No. 3 doubles team are all in their first year in the match squad for the Raiders.
“I think, if you ask any of our girls, we had no idea coming into the season what was gonna happen,” said Johnstone. “Yes, we won the state championship. We only had three girls who had played in a match, ever.”
That combination of experience and newcomers did the job on Thursday, and has done the job all season. Utell and Breedlove both won their singles matches, while Graber bounced back from a loss in the No. 2 singles match to record the match-clinching win with Utell in the No. 1 doubles match.
“That’s what competing is all about,” Johnstone said. “You had a tough moment or a tough day in singles, you put that behind you, and our one doubles was great.”
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In a repeat of a year prior, Lebanon will head far to the north for a matchup with an undefeated opponent next week. The top-seeded Berlin Mountaineers, having gone 14-0 with just a single team able to take more than three points from them all year, pose a tough test for the Raiders, but Johnstone said his team is ready.
Lebanon downed unbeaten Profile in the 2025 semifinals.
“I’ve been told by other coaches that their strength is great depth through the lineup… it’s a team that’s solid. But you know, I think we are.”
Lebanon, who took three of its four losses to the three teams directly above it in the standings by close margins, looks to round into form at the right time and learn from the losses.
“To play Kearsarge 5-4, to play Gilford 5-4, like, wait a minute,” Johnstone said. “We have gotten better and put ourselves in the conversation where we can compete with these teams.”
First serve in Berlin is slated for 4 p.m. on Monday.