WATERVILLE — Waterville’s Colleen O’Donnell said she tends to get down after losing a set. But at the state singles tournament, feeling sorry for yourself can get you knocked out in a hurry. When O’Donnell lost the second set of her Round of 16 match to Hampden’s Ashley Woodside, there was no time for moping.
Instead, O’Donnell rallied. Down two games in the third and deciding set, O’Donnell played some of her best tennis of the day, winning the next four to take the closest girls match of the day, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals.
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“I knew I had to be consistent, because she’s very consistent. I just thought, move her side to side so she’d get tired and just keep hitting it back,” O’Donnell, the No. 8 seed, said.
In the quarterfinals, O’Donnell played top-seed Maisie Silverman of Brunswick tough for a set, before falling 7-5, 6-1. Silverman will face Falmouth’s Olivia Leavitt in the semis at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Colby College. The other semifinal match will feature Falmouth teammates Analise Kump and Annie Criscione.
On the boys side, defending champion Patrick Ordway of Waynflete will take on Lincoln’s Jordan Friedland in one semifinal, with Matt Gilman of Cape Elizabeth against Falmouth’s Justin Brogan in the other.
O’Donnell won the first set over Woodside, 6-3. Woodside found her game in the second set, winning 6-2.
“It was pretty rough in the first (set), but I got used to it. I started coming back and making some gains. In the second set I really came back a lot,” Woodside said. “I felt really energized for some reason. I don’t know why though.”
Added O’Donnell: “In the second set, I don’t know, I was just making too many unforced errors. She was picking it up a notch.”
Woodside took a 4-2 lead in the third set, before O’Donnell found her game and came back for the win.
“I just tried to take it point by point and keep playing,” O’Donnell said.
Messalonskee’s Jai Aslam drew Ordway in the Round of 16, and played the defending champ close for much of their first set, before falling 6-3, 6-1. When he won a point to extend the first set, Aslam raised his hands over his head in joy.
“I’ve never played with somebody who hits with that much pace on all of his shots,” Aslam said. “It motivates you to play a lot better. It shows how good people can be if you put the time in.”
Hall-Dale’s Wendy Goldman lost to Leavitt in the Round of 16, 6-0, 6-0.
“She was really good, but I knew that going in. I just tried to play my hardest,” Goldman said. “Most of my shots were just trying to give it back to her. It’s really nice hitting with someone who has that much pace because I can hit my best shots off a pace like that.”
For Goldman, reaching the Round of 16 was a thrill.
“I wasn’t expecting to get this far, so being here is really exciting,” she said.
Other than the O’Donnell-Woodside match, only one other went three sets. Sam Leeman of Morse defeated Ellsworth’s Tyler Small in the Round of 16, 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-2. Leeman lost to Gilman in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-0.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
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