Wildcat tennis squads bounced from playoffs
The Presque Isle tennis teams were unable to advance past the preliminary round of the playoffs
The Wildcat boys lost at Mount Desert Island last Tuesday, 5-0, while the girls saw their season come to an end the following afternoon with a 3-2 home loss to Winslow.
Both teams’ final record was 8-5.
The PI boys, seeded ninth, lost all five individual matches to the No. 8 Trojans, who were eliminated by John Bapst in the quarterfinals Thursday.
The Wildcats’ three singles players — Denny Young, Byron Winslow and Andre Daigle — all were beaten in straight sets.
The doubles team of Colin Daigle and Jordan Bonville was involved in the closest match of the afternoon as the duo won the first set, 6-1, before dropping the next two, 5-7 and 4-6.
The No. 2 doubles team of Mason Young and Tyler Ayotte lost in a first-set tiebreaker and then fell in the second set.
“I consider this a stepping-block year and we plan to be even better next season,” said PI boys’ coach Brian Massey, noting that Winslow is the lone senior on the squad. “Four of our seven starters were freshmen or sophomores, but everyone finished .500 or better in match play and we were 37-23 overall.”
Last Wednesday, the PI girls prevailed in both first and second singles, but lost their other three matches. The Wildcats ended their season on a three-match losing streak after also dropping their final two regular season matches.
Senior Michelle Cawley ended her playing career with a three-set victory over Bria Crosby, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Junior Sarah Morneault took her match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0.
However, Sedona Lucas lost two close sets to her opponent, Cailyn Hilier, the first in a tie-breaker, and the PI doubles teams of Miranda Bragan-Anna Robinson and Emily Colligan-Ellie Goheen were both beaten in straight sets.
Presque Isle was the No. 6 seed. No. 11 Winslow, improving to 5-8, moved on to the quarterfinals but lost to John Bapst on Thursday, 5-0.
“This year I didn’t know what to expect with four new players to the team — three that have never played tennis,” said PI girls’ coach Monica Bearden, “but with leadership of my veteran players, the team surpassed my expectations by going 8-4 in the regular season.
“We had a tough prelim loss, but our girls ended the season playing their hearts out and that’s all any coach can ask for,” she added.
