Bangor/Nokomis tennis player Emma Vardaros, left, gets some advice from teammate and sister Ava Vardaros during a break in her second singles match Tuesday at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

BANGOR — Six years later, Jameson Ploch is getting flashbacks — times two.

In 2019, the Bangor girls tennis coach knew he was watching something special as exchange student Elaine Imnaishvili established herself as one of the best players in the state, making a run to the final of girls singles tournament. He has a similar feeling this year watching two more newcomers to his team, Ava and Emma Vardaros.

“(Imnaishvili) ended up No. 2 in the state, and with the way they play, it brings me back to her,” Ploch said. “It makes me say, ‘OK, if they’re at that level, we’re going to do some of these things we tried.’ If it worked for her, and she’s from the Republic of Georgia, it should work for you two from the state of Maine.”

The Vardaros sisters, who attend Nokomis Regional High, are thriving this season thanks to a newly formed co-op arrangement with Bangor. It’s a welcome feeling for the girls after years of competing with various teams, and as two of the state’s best, they’re aiming for a deep run in the state singles tournament.

Tennis players since youth, both sisters have had limited opportunities for team competition in high school. Ava, a senior, transferred to Maine Central Institute to join its tennis team last year after playing exhibition matches with John Bapst in 2022 and 2023. Emma, a junior, played exhibition matches for MCI in 2024 after a year with John Bapst.

This year, though, a new opportunity presented itself. Nokomis reached out to Bangor regarding the possibility of a co-op, something that also piqued Ploch’s interest. With Ava transferring back to Nokomis from MCI, it meant the sisters could finally play true matches together rather than being limited to exhibitions.

“When I found out, it was so exciting,” Emma Vardaros said. “I’ve never really played with a real co-op team because, before, it was just exhibition. I think it’s a really great experience, and I’m really happy I get to do it this year.”

Both players are coming off strong individual seasons in 2024. Ava Vardaros made the state singles quarterfinals as the No. 5 overall seed, and Emma reached the second round and gave No. 7 seed Vittoria De Lisio of Thornton Academy a fight before losing, 6-4, 7-5.

Although they have been practicing and playing with their new teammates for just a month, they’re fitting right in. After back-to-back winless season when Bangor was on its own, the co-op team got its first win Tuesday when it beat Messalonskee, 5-0.

Bangor/Nokomis tennis player Emma Vardaros, left, gets some advice from teammate and sister Ava Vardaros during a break in her second singles match Tuesday at Messalonskee High School in Oakland. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“I think they’re amazing; they’re so sweet, they’re so innocent, and they’re so welcoming,” Ava Vardaros said of her new teammates. “They just welcomed us in, and it’s been great. It’s awesome for us to be able to come here and play with them.”

On and off the court, the sisters are very different. Although both play right-handed, Emma is ambidextrous. They also have contrasting personalities, with Ava acknowledging that she’s much more introverted than her younger sister.

The differences, though, provide Bangor/Nokomis with a distinct set of weapons at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The two might disagree on the extent of their sibling rivalry — it’s fallen off a bit now that Ava has become much better, Emma says — but the competition between them has been a boon for both.

“We try to forget that we’re sisters and (know that) we’re both helping each other to improve,” Emma Vardaros said. “We know that we’re both really good players, but being No. 1 and No. 2 shows that we can achieve so much together.”

Ava Vardaros plans to continue playing tennis after graduating from Nokomis in June. She is looking at Rome City Institute, an academy in Italy, as well as the possibility of college tennis stateside.

A strong performance in the state singles tournament would certainly boost the senior’s résumé. Both sisters have discussed the possibility that they might get matched up against each other at some stage of the tournament.

“My goal is to win the whole thing; as a senior, it would be great to end it all with a great victory,” Ava Vardaros said. “(Playing each other at states) is something we’ve talked about, and it would be great. Emma works very hard, and she deserves to meet me in the finals.”