Staff Writer
The Presque Isle boys tennis team competed in Hampden on June 10 in the Eastern Maine Class B boys tennis championship, but fell to their equally undefeated opponent, Ellsworth, in a 5-0 match sweep.
The event, which had been previously scheduled for Colby College, was moved to the indoor courts in Bangor. Parents, athletic directors and teams from Presque Isle, Ellsworth, Waterville and Caribou crowded into a small lobby as instructions for the day’s event were addressed. Though the four courts were enclosed, glass windows offered ample viewing opportunity but created a relatively silent atmosphere for the individual and doubles matches. First to take the courts were first doubles Kyle Gilson and Chris Cawley and second doubles Mike Picard and Connor Shaw.
Picard and Shaw went up against Ellsworth’s Justin Harding and Brandan Albee and lost in two sets, 6-1 and 6-2. Neither Presque Isle player had had much experience playing inside but it was their inexperience against Ellsworth that ultimately cost them the match. “We knew that they were big,” began Picard, “and Connor’s not the tallest player,” he said, smiling. “And they both played the net.” In the end, neither he nor Shaw were prepared for how closely and consistently Harding and Albee played the net and it cost them the match.
Wildcats Gilson and Cawley fell to Dylan Toothaker and Tyler Small 6-4 and 6-4, though both Gilson and Cawley did a good job of remaining steady and keeping the ball in play for as long as possible. But, with both doubles teams eliminated, the pressure was on for Presque Isle’s first, second and third singles to all win their respective matches.
Caleb Mathers took his spot at third singles against Alexander Keefe and struggled in the first set, falling 6-1. Mathers recovered in the second set for a short time, staying even with Keefe for the first few points, then falling behind to a final 6-4 two-set defeat. Though the win was decided when Mathers lost, both Ben Picard and Alex Carter took on their Ellsworth opponents.
B. Picard was the first to take the court against Nick Reese and sending the first set into an 8-6 tiebreaking loss for Picard. In the second set, Picard fell 6-2. In the Wildcats’ final match of the day, first singles Alex Carter took on Spencer Small and fell 6-3 and 6-2. Though Carter lost by three and four points respectively, the first few points in each set were hard losses, as Carter vied back and forth for control of each set.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats made school history by earning a spot in the championship match. Coach Tim Dolley ultimately expected his team to go in with a positive attitude, play their best and have fun. And that’s exactly what they did.
Following the final match, the Presque Isle Wildcat boys tennis team was awarded a plaque for finishing as Eastern Maine Class B tennis runners-up.
The Lady Vikings also competed in the Eastern Maine Class B girls tennis championship in Bangor and fell to Waterville 3-2.
Jenna Selander def. Katherine Batten 6-2, 6-4; Laura Collins def. Jen Nale 3-6, 6-3, 6-2; Alex McAuliff def. Carlee Pinette 6-2, 6-0; Katie Jacobs-Lexi Russo def. Elizabeth Barbosa-Missy Nadeau 7-5, 6-1; Nikki Shanos-Kelsie Stevens def. Aly Michaud-Katie Keaton 6-4, 7-6.
Staff photo/Abigail Hunt
PROUDLY DISPLAYING their Eastern Maine Class B tennis runners-up plaque are, in front, from left: Caleb Mathers, Cole Richards, Connor Shaw, Jacob Towle and Osman Mendieta-Castro. Second row: coach Tim Dolley, Mike Picard, Alex Carter, Ben Picard, Chris Cawley, Kyle Gilson, Emerson Mendieta-Castro and manager Eric Freeman. The tennis team posed for the photo immediately following the awards at the Bangor Indoor tennis courts in Hampden. This 2009 journey marks the first time a Presque Isle Wildcat boys tennis team has made it to the Eastern Maine Class B championship match, and, though the Wildcat team was defeated 5-0, the experience the team shared in this journey will add to their strength in years to come. Though this was his first year coaching the boys tennis team, coach Tim Dolley has been with Presque Isle for a number of years as the girls tennis coach and his presence on the team will be missed in the future.
