It may had been some time since Vasilisa Mitskevich played competetive tennis, but that did not stop the 17-year-old from throroughly enjoying it this spring.
“I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to play tennis here and it was really amazing,” Mitskevich said. “I enjoyed every minute of playing tennis for Skowhegan.”
FIRST TEAM
Vasilisa Mitskevich, Skowhegan
Clio Barr, Hall-Dale
Emma Cristan, Waterville
DOUBLES — Chelsea Cayer and Fotini Shanos, Waterville
SECOND TEAM
Eryn Doiron, Mt. Blue
Nicole Pelletier, Hall-Dale
Megan Chamberlain, Winthrop
DOUBLES — Autumn St. Pierre and Thea Sweet, Hall-Dale
Honorable mention: Lauren Lang, Maranacook; Alena Thomas, Messalonskee; Cailee Manzer, Skowhegan; Emily Lombardo, Monmouth; Kelsey Rohman, Cony; Anastasia Carr, Gardiner; Olivia Benissan, Waterville.
As it would turn out, it did not take her long to shake the rust off either.
A foreign exchange student from Perm, Russia, Mitskevich quickly rose to the top of the Indians’ ladder this spring. She went 13-0 during the team’s matches while playing predominately at No. 1, and her only loss came to Greely’s Izzy Evans, 6-4, 6-1, in the Round of 16 of the state singles tournament.
For her efforts this spring, Mitskevich has been named the 2015 Morning Sentinel Girls Tennis Player of the Year.
“She basically took a lot of pressure off the rest of the team and allowed everybody to play really comfortable and loose,” Skowhegan girls tennis coach Andrew Staples said. “When we got a quarter of the way into the season and you’re kind of figuring out that you can count on a win every day and all the players know that too, then they can relax a little bit and play a little bit better.”
Staples, who recently finished his eighth season coaching the Indians, said Mitskevich was easily in the conversation as one of the best players he has had at Skowhegan.
“I would say that her level of play is definitely higher than any player that I’ve had in the past, but I’ve had some players that have played really well too, just different style,” Staples said. “On one hand it’s really tough to compare, but overall she is definitely on another level.”
Coming into the season, Mitskevich had not played competitively for a number of years but had played recreationally with her 15-year-old sister, Anfisa. She also started this spring playing with a hand-me-down racket that her host parents, Nate and Brandy Jewell, had purchased for a previous exchange student, but ultimately finished the year with another loaner.
“That (first racket) broke when she was playing against Brunswick earlier in the season,” Staples noted. “I had to lend her one of my rackets to finish the season. It was an adjustment for her but the more she played with it, the better she played.”
Mitskevich returned to Russia on June 17, but prior to her departure, she said leaving would be bittersweet.
“I’m excited to go back home but I’m very sure I’m going to miss everyone,” she said. “The time went by really fast, but it’s exciting to go back home.”
Mitskevich listed the tennis season, as well as program-sponsored trips to New York City and Washington, D.C. as some of the highlights from her stay. She also noted that when she returns home she will do so with something many high school students gain during their formative years — new perspective.
“I really appreciate some things that are in Russia. I appreciate my family a lot more,” Mitskevich said. “It’s great I had the opportunity to come here. You start appreciating everything a little bit more.”
Evan Crawley — 621-5640
ecrawley@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @Evan_Crawley
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