PORTLAND — The Waterville girls tennis team came up just short in its quest for a Class B state championship Saturday night at the Racquet and Fitness Center against Greely.

The Rangers, despite losing at first singles, rallied to take a 4-1 victory to win their first tennis title in school history.

Waterville (15-1) won easily at first singles with senior Colleen O’Donnell (6-1, 6-1) but Greely came back from first-set losses at both third singles (sophomore Alex Tebbs in 3-6, 6-3, 6-3) and second doubles (senior Sarah Gooch and junior Sam Kennedy in 5-7, 6-3, 6-4) to wrest momentum.

Junior Anna Collins clinched the title with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) victory at No. 2 singles over Waterville senior Emily Dufour, who had jumped to a 5-3 lead in the third.

“I was sort of defeated when it was 5-3,” Collins said. “But I figured we still had a shot at it. I just kind of hung in there and got lucky. I think I faced two or three (match points), at least.”

The victory by Collins gave Greely an insurmountable 3-1 lead. The first doubles match between Mia Lambert and Jessie Hoffman, of Greely, and Emma Cristan and Jayme Saulter, of Waterville, was headed to a third set after they split 7-6 tiebreakers in the first two sets.

After Collins clinched the overall victory, however, the first doubles participants decided to play a tiebreaker instead of a third set, and Lambert and Hoffman won it by a 7-5 score.

“With Falmouth moving up to Class A, we kind of knew all season we could get here,” said Gooch, the only senior in Greely’s lineup. “We knew nothing about Waterville except that we had to rise to the challenge.”

Greely finishes 15-1, with the lone loss coming against Falmouth. Waterville, Class B runner-up for the fourth year in a row, is also 15-1.

“It was evenly matched and good competition,” said Waterville coach Jill Cristan. “Just a matter of who was going to stick it out.”

On the boys side, Cape Elizabeth drubbed Camden Hills 5-0 in a match originally scheduled outdoors at Bates College.

“We knew what was at stake, going down the stretch, so it was big to wrap that up,” said Jack Tierney, a Cape senior. “Cape tennis has got such a big legacy. To be able to write our own chapter in that was kind of cool for us, too.”

Ethan Murphy and Jack Hall pulled out a three-setter at first doubles, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 and, at No. 1 singles, Gabriel Torres won 6-1, 6-1 for Cape Elizabeth (14-2), whose only two losses came against Falmouth, which plays for the Class A title Monday.

Cape Elizabeth coach Andy Strout said he wasn’t sure what to expect from his team at the beginning of the season, particularly from seniors Hall and Tierney.

“They’ve been on the fringes for a few years, watching it all,” Strout said. “Now all of a sudden everything was thrust upon them, and they grabbed it and took off.”

Portland Press Herald staff writer Glenn Jordan contributed to this report.