By Bill Pearson
Special to the Republican
WATERVILLE — It doesn’t take playing for a title or championship to motivate Caribou girls’ number one tennis player Jenna Selander to compete hard. All it takes is the desire to excel and give it her all. The best evidence of this occurred on June 12 during the State Class B girls’ tennis championships as Selander was still out there grinding out long rallies on the baseline long after her teammates had all been beaten in the other four matches and Falmouth High School had captured the state team title.
Holding the Eastern Class B tennis championship after last Wednesday’s regional match against Camden Hills are Caribou tennis players, front row from left, Ashley Richards, Elizabeth Barbosa, Melissa Nadeau, Katherine Keaton and Carlee Pinette; and back, Alexa Massey, Laura Collins, Jenna Selander, Megan Doody and Emma Duplissie-Cyr. Not pictured is coach John Habeeb.
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
Elizabeth Barbosa puts her all behind this shot.
Selander lost her match 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in a three hour seven minute epic that lasted nearly two hours after Falmouth had easily won the previous four matches to capture the title. Selander was beaten by Falmouth’s Analise Kump who had previously defeated her in the spring, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the state’s quarterfinal singles competition. Selander came out with a game plan to keep the points long as possible and force her opponent into errors.
“I knew she was a really good player and I had to play longer points,” Selander said. “This was my last match and I wanted to try my best and know that the season ended on a good note.”
The match looked like it was Selander’s for the taking as she served for the match at 5-4 in the third set, but Kump rebounded capitalizing on some errors and won the tenth game at love. The players battled to a tie-breaker where Selander once again forged ahead 3-1, but Kump ultimately prevailed by winning six of the next seven points capturing the fifth match for Falmouth.
Caribou girls’ coach John Habeeb credited Selander for her toughness and grittiness for making her one of the regions’ top players.
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
Jenna Selander, Caribou’s first singles ace, prepares to send a two-hand slam back across the net.
“This was one of the best school girls’ matches played all year. Jenna played an outstanding match by using her athletic ability and grittiness to compete against one of the top players in Class B,” said Habeeb.
The state championship loss was the only defeat for the Caribou girls’ this season as they finish the season at 15-1. Caribou breezed through the regular season and Eastern Maine tournament which may have left them off-guard for competing against the talented and deep Falmouth tennis squad.
“I think for us the regular season wasn’t much of a challenge,” said doubles player Elizabeth Barbosa. “Falmouth is a great team and they do everything very well. We started out slow and we couldn’t do enough to get it into a third set.”
Barbosa and her partner Missy Nadeau lost 6-0, 6-4 to Emma Wilberg and Amanda Gallagher. Falmouth captured the other doubles match with Abby Payson and Steffi Rothweiler defeating Ashley Richards and Katie Keaton. In the remaining singles matches Falmouth’s number two player Annie Criscione beat Laura Collins 6-1, 6-1 and number three player Libby Voccola defeated Carlee Pinette 6-0,6-1.
The Lady Vikings graduate two seniors — Elizabeth Barbosa and Missy Nadeau — from this year’s Eastern Maine Championship team which defeated Camden Hills for the title.
