Souhegan's Ori Dart, right, and Callie Perrin embrace after winning their No. 1 doubles match, the final point needd to secure a 5-4 Division II championship win over Portsmouth at Alvirne High School. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

HUDSON – The weight has been lifted off their shoulders.

The Souhegan High School Sabers have been banging on the door of a Division II girls tennis championship the last four years. On Thursday, they knocked it in and came away with the ultimate prize in edging Portsmouth 5-4 for the title at the Alvirne High School courts.

“We hung in there,” Sabers coach Bo Dean said. “We’ve been so close for four years, and we finally got it.”

But it didn’t come easily, as this was a dogfight, one that included The teams split singles three apiece, and it came down to doubles. First, the undefeated No. 2 Saber tandem of seniors Tess Jancar and Caroline Drum bested Asi Trac and Anna Syphers, 8-3. The Clippers No. 3 duo of Lindsay Lee and Aofie Ryan beat Souhegan’s Emma Perrin/Sophia Yates 8-5. While that was in the final stages, the Sabers’ No. 1 team of Callie Perrin and Ori Dart were trying like crazy to close out the Clippers duo of Avery Porter/Elyse White. They were comfortably up 7-3, but the Clippers closed to 7-5, fighting off three match/title poins, and were up 30-love in the 13th game, two points away from closing to 7-6. But the Saber duo, rallied and captured the game, the match, and the title.

A different feeling after falling to Oyster River in last year’s finals 6-3.

“We just realized how much we wanted it after last year,” Perrin said.

“Everyone on the team was so ready to win it,” Drum said. “It had to be now.”

And it was.

The teams were eyeing each other since Souhegan beat Portsmouth 5-4 in the season opener back in early April, and neither had lost since.

“We were waiting for this showdown,” Portsmouth coach Wendy Poutre said, her team finishing at 15-2 while Souhegan was unbeaten at 17-0. “Preaching one match at a time….We did better today. They’re an extremely good team, very deep, we always have good matches with them, and today was no different. Our first doubles really gave Callie and Ori a run.”

Dart was breathing heavier and heavier in the latter stages and Perrin was having trouble with her forehand. But they pulled it together in the heat.

“I had close to nothing,” Dart said. “I just kept putting that water towel all over my face. So relieved, and Callie and I totally came together, she put away so many great volleys for sure.”

“I think it took a lot of self-confidence, confidence in their skills,” Sabers coach Bo Dean said. “Keep playing the tennis we’ve been playing all year. Don’t lose confidence in what you can do. They worked hard, and they got over some final jitters and got where they needed to be.”

Souhegan’s Callie Perrin fires a backhand return during Thursday’s Division II finals vs. Portsmouth in Hudson. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

The one thing that happened to change Portsmouth’s strategy was unfortunate, as No. 4 Clipper singles player Clara Daw collapsed due to the heat. She was helped off the court, her day done, and at the time Souhegan’s Drum was up 7-1 anyway. But Poutre had to move Syphers from No. 3 doubles to No. 2 and and add Ryan off the bench to No. 3.

In any event, Callie Perrin topped Porter 8-2 at No.1; Dart bested Elyse White 8-3 at No. 3 and Drum was awarded the win at No. 4. Portsmouth’s Asi Trace beat Jancar 8-3 at No. 2, and the Clippers took Nos. 5 and six as Syphers beat Sophia Yates 8-2 and Lindsay Lee topped Emma Perrin 8-5. Even steven, three apiece.

“I’ve got to acknowledge Portsmouth,” Dean said. “They really hung in there. They have a good team and played really well. It was just a couple of good bounces here and there. We started the season 5-4 against them, and we finished the season 5-4 against them. …

“We felt like we could do it. We felt like we had the players and we had the confidence. We were a little nervous last year. Most of the day today, nerves were not a big part of it. …I’m going camping, man.”

The Sabers celebrate their Division II girls tennis championship Thursday in Hudson after they beat Portsmouth 5-4. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)