HOULTON, Maine — For the second straight season, the Houlton girls tennis team has secured a preliminary playoff victory, following Tuesday’s 3-2 win at home over Madawaska.
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Nancy Mooers, Houlton finished the regular season with a 5-7 record, which earned the Shires the No. 6 seed in the playoffs. Houlton now advances to the quarterfinals, where it takes on No. 3 Orono (12-0). The two squads did not meet during the regular season.
Last year, the Shire girls finished 6-6 and secured the sixth seed in the playoffs. Houlton beat Calais, 4-1, in the preliminary round, but fell to No. 3 Penobscot Valley, 4-1, in the quarterfinals.
In Tuesday’s preliminary matchup, the results, with Houlton players listed first, were: in singles, Rebecca Mooers lost to Isabelle Jandreau, 3-6, 6-2, 2-6; Sydney Lorom beat Abby Gonneville, 6-0, 6-1; and Maddie Grant defeated Paige Brown, 6-2, 7-5.
In doubles, Nadja Messerschmidt and Tessa McCormick lost to Kathryn Bossie and Katelyn Beaulieu, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6; and Emily Miller and Grace Johnson defeated Raleigh Toussaint and Hailey Vanier, 6-2, 6-3.
Houlton squared off against Madawaska in the regular season finale May 24, so coach Mooers had a fairly good handle on the competition. Houlton won both matches in that doubleheader, but the Owls were forfeiting the second doubles.
“We didn’t get to see Madawaska’s second doubles team in our final regular season match, so we didn’t know what to expect,” coach Mooers said. “We didn’t know how our second doubles team would stack up against theirs. I was very pleased with how they did do.”
In Tuesday’s prelim, Houlton’s second doubles team finished its match first, followed by the third singles match, which gave Houlton a 2-0 lead. The first doubles match went to three sets, before Madawaska emerged victorious, cutting the lead to 2-1. Houlton won it all, however, when the second singles secured the needed third match.
The loss of several seniors from last year’s team opened the door for new players to have prominent roles this season. Among the more notable newcomers have been freshmen Lorom, Grant and Johnson, the coach said.
Facing Orono in the quarterfinals will prove to be a daunting challenge, but is one Mooers is cautiously optimistic about. Weather could be a factor in the match as the forecast for Thursday in Orono is for rain and thundershowers, which could force the match indoors.
“It will be a tough match, but I think we played a tougher schedule,” Mooers said. “We played both the No. 1 seed in Class C (Mattanawcook Academy) and Class B (Caribou) twice during the regular season. I don’t know how it will go, but it should be a good match.”
Pioneer Times photos/Joseph Cyr
