The Souhegan girls tennis team watches Portsmouth receive its championship plaque after the Clippers edged the Sabers 5-4 in the Division II finals in Dover. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

DOVER – Forgive the Souhegan High School girls tennis team if it balks at ever returning to the Dover High School tennis courts again.

The Sabers have been in three straight finals, but have lost twice here, including Wednesday’s 5-4 Division II title match defeat at the hands of the No. 2 Portsmouth Clippers.

The loss ended a string of 33 straight wins since Souhegan lost to Oyster River in the finals here to years ago. It also marked the end of an era as senior Callie Perrin, one of the state’s best players since she was a freshman, said farewell to team play. It didn’t end the way the St. Lawrence University wanted.

“I think it makes it even harder because we knew we could do it from earlier in the season,” said Perrin, who will be playing this weekend in the NHIAA individual singles and doubles tourneys. “Going into doubles we were losing, but we were losing last time (too). I think it was definitely on us.

“Obviously (the Clippers) played really well, but I think we could have won, so I think that makes it a little hard. But congratulations to them.”

The two teams have played a string of 5-4 matches, and yes, Portsmouth led 4-2 in both the regular season and yesterday after singles, but just about two months ago the No. 1 Sabers (16-1) swept doubles. Yesterday they lost at No. 3 doubles before the others had been decided, clinching the match.

“That third doubles team, one of the seniors (Ailish Honda) is brand new, she’s actually a soccer star, and decided to come out for her senior year and therefore had a lot to learn,” Portsmouth coach Wendy Poutre said. “She committed herself to learn as much as she could and her partner, Aoife Ryan was so steady, they were a great pair.”

They dispatched the Sabers’ No. 3 team of Sophia Yates/Elianna Brower 8-3, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and not looking back.

“We had to many unforced errors,” Sabers coach Bo Dean said of the entire match. “We talked about that before today to make them earn points. We gave them a lot of points today. But they played well. Overall they played better than us today, less errors, through and through.”

Souhegan’s Callie Perrin hits a backhand return during Wednesday’s Division II finals vs. Portsmouth in Dover. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Callie Perrin beat Avery Porter at No. 1, 8-4, and Souhegan’s only other singles win was Emma Perrin at No. 4 topping Anna Syphers, 8-4.

The Clippers Aia Tracz beat Ori Dart 8-3 at No. 2, Elyse White downed Yates 8-0 at No. 3, and Honda downed Brower 8-3 at No. 6.

“Their No. 6 player played really well,” Dean said. “She made a big difference today.”

But the match that put the Clippers on the verge of a title was at No. 5 singles, where Saber freshman Mariella Dart battled in a back-and-forth match with Portsmouth’s Ryan, taking it to a tiebreaker before falling 9-8 (7-5). That gave the Clippers a 4-2 lead.

“Portsmouth had five seniors,” Dean said. “That makes a difference in the matches that are pivotal. If we won that one, we’re about to win right here.”

In the other two doubles matches, Callie Perrin/Dart and Emma Perrin/Mariella Dart down the Clippers Porter/White and Tracz/Syphers by identical 8-4 scores. Those showed just how close the two programs are.

“We’ve had a good run, we’ve been very competitive,” Dean said. “I think our overall record the last three years is something like 46-5 (actually, 48-3). I’ve got nothing but praise for the girls, they played well. But Portsmouth played a little bit better.”