By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
Both Viking tennis teams were defeated in the quarterfinal round of the Eastern Maine Class playoffs on Friday.
Dave Allen Graphics photo
Caribou’s Matt Coty lunges for a shot against PI’s Connor Shaw during their match held Friday on the UMPI courts.
The Caribou girls were beaten by No. 4 Waterville, 3-2.
The Vikes won both doubles matches, as Ashley Richards and Katie Keaton stopped Lexi Russo and Lauren Hallenbeck in first doubles, 6-4, 7-5, while Lydia Kieffer and Alexa Massey got past Brittany Faulter and Emily Dufour, 7-5, 6-2.
However, the Purple Panthers dominated in singles play by winning all three matches. Jayme Faulter beat Clara Collins, 6-1, 6-0, while Olivia Lopes topped Laura Collins, 6-2, 6-2. In the decisive final, Colleen O’Donnell rallied from a set down to score a win over Caribou’s Jenna Selander, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Caribou, the No. 5 seed, closed out the year with an 11-2 record. The team’s only other loss came against Mount Desert Island way back in April.
In the boys quarterfinal held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the Wildcats defeated Caribou for the third time this season, 5-0.
Caleb Mathers got past the Vikes’ Ezra Duplissie-Cyr, 6-2, 6-1; Connor Shaw needed three sets to overtake Caribou’s Matt Coty, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2; and Emerson Castro dominated Phil Smith of the Vikings, 6-2, 6-0.
In doubles, the Osman Castro-Andrew Legassie duo eased past Caribou’s Lucien Caverhill-Tyler Willey, 6-0, 6-3, while Brock Cassidy-Liam Hughes had little trouble with Zac Gorence-Cameron Hill, beating the Viking duo, 6-0, 6-1.
Dave Allen Graphics photo
Ezra Duplissie-Cyr smashes a serve during his match against Presque Isle’s Caleb Mathers Friday in the Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinals held at UMPI. The CHS senior lost in straight sets and his Vikings fell to the Wildcats, 5-0. Caribou finished its season with a 7-6 overall record.
Caribou, the sixth seed, finished the regular season with a 7-6 record. PI went on to defeat Camden Hills in Monday’s semifinal and will play Ellsworth for the EM title this afternoon.
In the state singles tournament, held May 30 and 31 at Bates College in Lewiston, Selander reached the Round of 16 before being upended by Frankie Lally of Edward Little, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Selander, seeded fifth, drew a first-round bye and then beat Becca Lessard of Lewiston in the second round, 6-0, 6-0.
Caribou’s other competitor, Laura Collins, lost to Shashanna Moll of Belfast in the second round, 6-2, 6-2. Collins had also drawn a bye through the opening round of the event.
