It’s often said that history repeats itself, and that was the case for the Lebanon High girls tennis team on Monday as the defending NHIAA Division III champions took down an undefeated opponent on the road to clinch a spot in the state final.
The No. 4 seed Raiders took down the previously unbeaten No. 1 seed Berlin 5-4 in an NHIAA Division III semifinal matchup, one year after doing the same against Profile.
The win propelled the program to its third straight appearance in the D-III title match.
Lebanon’s semifinal win was highlighted by a marathon match at No. 2 singles between Raiders’ sophomore Samyra Graber and Berlin senior Emily Smith that lasted over two hours.
Graber, who trailed 7-4, battled through five match points to tie the match at eight apiece and picked up the 9-8 victory via a 7-4 tiebreaker win.
Additionally, at No. 3 singles, Lebanon junior Shaya Kiridena picked up an 8-5 victory over Berlin senior Kennah Scott, who had previously been unbeaten on the year. Lebanon head coach Rob Johnstone said in an email that Kiridena played her first varsity high school singles tennis match just six weeks ago.
Lebanon’s other singles victories came from senior captain Mariana Utell via an injury default and senior Payton Breedlove (8-6).
The duo of Utell and Graber clinched the victory in doubles, 8-0.
The Raiders’ latest triumph builds on what has been a remarkable season. The defending champs entered the season with just three players who had high school match experience.
Early last month, after his squad’s 9-0 victory over Moultonborough Academy, Johnstone said the goal for his team heading into the season was to make the playoffs. After starting 6-1, he amended that to potentially winning a round in the postseason.
Now, the Raiders are just one more win away from a repeat.
Standing in their way is a familiar foe, No. 3 seed Gilford — the same squad it beat in last season’s state championship. The two squads met in Lebanon’s final match of the regular season, with Gilford winning 5-4.
The rematch for championship glory is set for Wednesday at the Memorial Field Complex in Concord at 4 p.m.
