PORTSMOUTH - After several years of missing the Class L tournament, the Portsmouth High School girls tennis team turned the corner last year with an 8-4 record and a spot in the postseason in its last year in Class L.

Portsmouth began life in Class I in some windy conditions on Monday afternoon by hosting Pembroke Academy. The Clippers' first appearance in the division couldn't have been more impressive.

The Clippers cut through the Spartans, opening the season with a 9-0 win. Three of Portsmouth's victories came via 8-0 scores.

Top-seeded junior Taylor Barnes cruised in her 8-0 singles match victory over Pembroke's Krys Krycki. Barnes then teamed up with Rebecca Risman for an 8-0 win over Krycki and Melinda Blais in doubles. Senior Laurel Adams had the other blanking of the day at No. 5 singles, defeating Christa Antosh.

"I think all of our players are doing very well," Barnes said. "(Coach Sarah Olsen) has been trying to get us to be more confident coming up to the net and stay consistent the first couple of games. I think everyone is doing a pretty good job of that."

Portsmouth High School’s Taylor Barnes makes a return against Pembroke’s Krys Krycki during Class I girls tennis action on Monday. Photo by Don Clark

"This is a very nice way to start the season," said Olsen, who is in his her fifth season at the helm for PHS. "We're looking very good. I think our team has a lot of depth. A lot of theses kids have been playing through the winter. Their attitudes were right, they all went out there with a good attitude and shot their hardest. They played really solid."

Barnes returns as the No. 1 for the Clippers, as she made it all they to the quarterfinals of the state singles tournament as a sophomore. With her at the top of the lineup and her talented freshman sister, Alyx, at No.2, Olsen knows she has solid top players.

"Taylor is amazing, she has a complete game," Olsen said. "She's got from the top-spin to the serve to beautiful volleys. Now we've got her sister, who has some real beautiful strokes. But I think Taylor could be a real leader this year."

Taylor Barnes is aiming for another deep run this year, individually and with the rest of her teammates, while working to improve her net game.

"I'm hoping I'll do better than last year, get further than what I did," she said. "I want to feel more confident going up to the net. Last year I really didn't go up towards the net that much. This year, this match in particular, I went up to the net a lot. That's what I've been working on."

Alyx Barnes won her singles match, 8-2, over Lyndsay Tiddes. She paired up with Anna Levenson in No. 2 doubles to defeat the pairing of Tiddes and Melissa Lucier. Levenson won her No. 4 singles match, 8-2, over Blais.

Risman won her match at No. 3 singles over Lucier, 8-3, and Victoria Vinciguerra rounded out Portsmouth's singles victories with an 8-1 defeat of Lindsay Crete. The Clippers' toughest match of the day came when Vinciguerra and Adams downed Antosh and Crete, 8-6.

Pembroke returns only two of its top seven players from last season's 2-11 squad. It was the first varsity match for the Spartans' Nos. 3 through 6 players.

"The first quarter of our season will be just to get these kids some experience and try to get them some confidence," Pembroke coach Steve Langevin said. "They're not confident in hitting the ball harder, they hold back a lot. They're going to do that until they gain some confidence."

For Portsmouth, the move to Class I brings different opponents and fresh experiences. Olsen is confident her team will be in the mix.

"I don't know a whole lot about the competition, but I'm feeling pretty confident right now in my team," Olsen said. "I think we'll do pretty well."

Portsmouth is scheduled to travel to St. Thomas on Wednesday.