Longtime tennis coach Jean Maunder, who is embarking on her final season coaching, has stressed to her charges the importance that tennis can play in their lives beyond high school.
“I want to focus on tennis being a lifetime sport and what the players learn they will carry with them throughout their life,” Maunder said.
Members of the varsity girls squad are seniors Piper Flewelling, June Choi, Lauren Hogan and Morgan Nelson; juniors Tessa McCormick, Carrie Hannigan and Nadja Messerschmidt; sophomore Becca Mooers; and freshman Emily Miller.
Flewelling, a fourth-year player, enters the season as the favorite to hold down the first singles position, while Mooers (a two-year player) and Choi (a four-year varsity player) will likely be the second and third singles players respectively.
Hogan and Nelson, both four-year players, will start the year as the first doubles tandem, while McCormick, Hannigan, Messerschmidt and Miller will all compete for the second doubles position.
Members of the varsity boys team seniors Isaiha Littleton and Sam Astle; juniors Owen Gallop and Brandon Smith; sophomores Devin Ivey, Dominic Miller and Justin Hogan; and freshman Timothy Youngfellow.
Dakota Brown, a senior from Hodgdon, is also playing with the Shires this season.
Littleton, a fourth-year player, enters the season as the first single player, while Gallop, a third-year player, is the team’s second singles and Astle, a two-year player, will be the team’s third singles.
Comprising the first doubles team will be Ivey and Miller, while second doubles will feature Youngfellow, Hogan or Smith.
“Last year we had Christian Crane, Dakota Gramour and Dustin Hines in the top three spots; now it is Isaiha, Owen and Devin so the whole team will be in a new lineup,” Maunder said. “We have three newcomers, Justin, Brandon and Dakota (who is playing for Hodgdon). It will be an interesting season!”
A similar situation arises for the girls as last year the top four players were Tessa Winship, Caleigh Sullivan, Emma Hines and Janelle Levesque, who are all gone from the team this year.
Helping out with the team as an assistant will be Nancy Mooers. Houlton will utilize all five courts this year, with doubles teams playing at the Houlton Recreation Department, while the singles players will compete at Community Park.
The Shires’ first match of the season is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26 at Caribou.
