Samantha Jean doesn’t like to lose, especially to her sister, Kirsten. The feeling is mutual, said the younger sibling.

Though each was the top tennis player for their respective high school this season, they never met in a New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association-sanctioned event.

Sam, a recent Manchester West graduate, lost twice in the Class L regular season.

Kirsten, Bedford High’s No. 1 after transferring with the rest of her class to the new school, finished undefeated in Class I.

The two have had a sibling rivalry since Sam was in seventh grade and Kirsten was still in elementary school.

Well, it’s not really a rivalry if it’s one-sided, noted Sam. “We started playing at the same time, and when (Kirsten) saw me excel, I think she worked a little harder because she didn’t want me to beat her, and vice versa,” said Sam. “I definitely don’t like to lose to her. I mean, it hasn’t really happened in awhile, but we’ve definitely had some good matches.”

Kirsten sees things a bit differently. “I love playing her because for me it’s a win-win,” said Kirsten. “If I beat her, great, and if I lose, then hey, I lost to a great competitor. But we really haven’t played to see who is better. We’re usually just trying to improve each other’s games.”

Still, when the seedings were revealed for the state’s individual tournament, both took note of the fact it was the younger of the two who took the higher seed. Kirsten was No. 4, and Sam slid into the fifth seed.

“She was in a different class than me and had no losses,” explained Sam. “My losses were (in Class L) to the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.”

View from the top New Hampshire’s No. 1 seed, Kelli Murphy of Londonderry, is one of the few players to face both Jeans. She beat Sam during the regular season and gave Kirsten her first loss of the year in the singles tourney.

Murphy, who earned the individual crown this season, has played with the Bedford sisters since the three began competing at Executive Health Club in Manchester years ago.

“They’re very different players, but they’re both really strong hitters, and they both have great ground strokes,” said Murphy. “With Sam, you really have to watch out for her because she attacks the net so well. Kirsten is really aggressive and attacks everything. She’ll come up with some amazing shot out of the blue, and you very rarely see it coming.”

Next year, while Sam heads to Assumption College to play tennis on an athletic incentive scholarship. Kirsten and Kelli, along with Central sophomore Margaret Teague, continue to joust for state supremacy the next two seasons.

“I’m not sure which (Jean sister) is better. They’re both so solid in their own way,” Murphy continued. “I guess it really depends on the day, but playing both of them really improves your game because you have to focus on different areas.”

Coaches speak
The contrast in styles worked out well for West coach Steve Houle, who paired the two in doubles in 2007, when Kirsten was a freshman and Sam a junior at WHS.

“I certainly wanted to give them the opportunity to play together in the only year they’d be teammates, but it also happened to play out that way,” said Houle.

Sam said the two highlights of her high school career came when she helped West to a state championship her sophomore year and when she paired with Kirsten in doubles action n 2007.

“We were really successful playing together,” said Sam. “We both grew as players over the summer and through the winter, and I thought we could have done even better in the doubles tournament this year, so I was really disappointed we couldn’t play together again.”

Houle said having both Sam and Kirsten in the lineup last season was, based on their skill levels, a no-brainer.

And while Sam helped West exceed expectations this season, Houle continued to root for Kirsten from afar. But Houle’s loss is Peter Gagnon’s gain.

The first-year Bedford coach said Kirsten raised the bar this season – not just for herself, but the entire team.

“It makes it a lot easier to establish a new team when one of your best players is also one of the hardest working,” said Gagnon. “She, along with the other sophomores – Lauren Pritchard and Ally Mahoney – who had played at West the year before, set the tone for a team of mostly freshmen.”

In fact, Kirsten, who led the Lady Bulldogs to a winning season in the program’s first year, never missed a practice. She improved steadily as the year progressed and had one of her best matches of the season when she upset the state’s No. 3 seed, Natalie Donnelly of Hanover, in the state tourney, said Gagnon.

It’s not hard to identify where that work ethic originates, he added.

“Bill and Sandy Jean have raised two talented and dedicated multi-sport athletes,” said Gagnon. “(They) are as committed to their studies and participating in school activities as they are to the time they spend out on the court.”