PI squads qualify for post-season
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
PRESQUE ISLE — The Wildcat tennis teams have earned berths into the playoffs.
The squads concluded their season Thursday with victories at Houlton and the final Eastern Maine Class B standings, revealed Friday, had the girls as the No. 5 seed with their 8-4 record, with a quarterfinal match looming Thursday at No. 4 Caribou. The teams split during the regular season, with PI winning at home, 3-2, in the mutual season opener played April 25, and Caribou recording a 4-1 victory in the second meeting held in Caribou May 7.
The winner moves onto the semifinals on Saturday, most likely against No. 1 Ellsworth.
The PI boys are the eighth seed and hosted No. 9 Old Town in the preliminary round of the playoffs in a match that took place Tuesday. The Wildcats, at 7-5, swept the Coyotes at home May 18, 5-0 and 3-2. Old Town ended the regular season with a 5-7 mark.
The winner will take on top-ranked Mount Desert Island in a Thursday quarterfinal match in Bar Harbor.
Last week, the PI teams scored 4-1 triumphs over Fort Kent. On the girls’ side, Kayla Girardin, Sara Gilson and Hilary Boucher pulled off singles victories, while the doubles combination of Blair Bailey and Michelle Cawley also prevailed. In the boys’ match, Liam Hughes and Chase Norton won their singles matches while doubles tandems Mikey Michaud-Chris Carroll and Byron Winslow-Zach Breton came out on top.
At Houlton Thursday, the PI girls beat the Shires, 5-0. Girardin, Gilson and Boucher eased to singles wins, as did Bailey-Cawley and Lora Ireland-Sedona Lucas in doubles. The Wildcat boys won, 4-1. PI swept the singles matches with Hughes, Drew Barrett and Norton all capturing victories. Winslow and Breton teamed for the No. 2 doubles triumph.
Hughes, Girardin and Gilson also competed in the state singles tournament, held indoors at the Racket & Fitness Center in Portland Saturday.
Neither of the three was able to win a match. Hughes drew a first-round bye and then lost to Aiden McGrory of Falmouth, 6-0, 6-1, Girardin fell to Kirsty Beauchene of Lewiston, 6-1, 6-3, while Gilson was beaten by Sophie Hulbert of Portland, 6-2, 6-1.
The three Wildcats players had qualified by going undefeated in the Region I tourney held in Caribou May 14.
