HANOVER— The Hanover High boys tennis team continued its run of dominance as it seeks to repeat as state champion, blanking Keene, 9-0, in a NHIAA Division I matchup on Tuesday at Storrs Pond Recreation Area.

The clean sweep by the Bears featured singles victories from senior Sam Ames, sophomores Ben Pearson, Ben Hannan and Ben Ames, and freshmen Nate Holt and Izaiah Siegel.

Hanover also picked up wins in doubles from the duos of Sam Ames and senior Ian Holmes, Pearson and freshman Quinn O’Regan, and sophomore Wolfie Wu and senior Ming Liu.

“I thought they did really well. We had some good matches; everybody had positive energy, good footwork,” said Kelly Finn, the Bears’ head coach.

Finn is in her third season at the helm of the team, and during her tenure the Bears have been nearly unstoppable.

They are defending D-I champions after finishing as runner-up the previous season. The Bears have lost just three matches in the last three seasons, all at the hands of Bedford, the squad Hanover beat for the championship last year.

This spring, the Bears picked up where they left off and have one match remaining in the regular season.

Tuesday’s win was the 10th time Hanover has swept its opponent this season. The Bears’ closest match was against rival Bedford, which Hanover beat, 6-3.

Hanover’s No. 1 player, Sam Ames, credited his teammates for the program’s sustained success.

“I think we have a really strong team culture; we practice hard and we have fun together,” he said.

Ames noted the maturity of the underclassmen and said they have the potential to establish a dynasty for boys tennis in Hanover.

Finn, who played tennis at the collegiate level, said it is fun to coach a competitive team that wants to win.

“We have good practices. There’s as much competition, if not more, within the team as there is when we play other schools, so it’s a good balance,” she said. “As a team, they work well together, there’s a lot of good teamwork, but then internally, too, there’s a lot of that competition.”

Now Finn’s task is to keep her team grounded and focused heading into the postseason.

Finn recalled an earlier conversation she had with her team this season after the win over Bedford: “We still need to keep improving, because if we stay the same and everybody else keeps improving, then we could be in trouble.”

That included Finn setting team goals over the course of the season and asking each player to focus on something they want to improve from match to match.

“Even if it’s your footwork, or trying a serve a different way, or trying to have more volleys, have a personal goal in a match,” she said. “I would rather them lose a few more points trying to do something new and get something out of it than just sweep and not be trying to improve.”

Ames admitted to the team feeling some added pressure with a repeat title and a perfect season within its grasp.

“We need to stay down to earth, keep our heads, be smart and keep competing,” he said.

The Bears, with a record of 13-0, will host Bishop Guertin on Friday to close out the regular season.

Michael Coughlin Jr. can be reached at mcoughlin@vnews.com.