WATERVILLE, Maine — The Caribou High School girls tennis team knew it faced a formidable challenge in its first trip to the Class B state championship match in seven years.
The only blemish on the record of South region champion Greely of Cumberland Center, after all, was a 3-2 loss at Class A powerhouse Falmouth on April 29.
The Vikings had their chances to pull off what would have been a major upset at Colby College late Saturday afternoon, but Greely was able to hold on for a 3-2 victory and win its third state title in the last four years.
“We were definitely the underdogs coming into today, but this season we’ve worked hard and compared to last season it’s been a good accomplishment,” said Caribou junior captain Gabrielle Marquis, one of five Vikings who will return next spring from a team that finished 15-1 with a 76-4 individual-match record.
The contest was close even though just one match went the maximum three sets.
Greely (15-1) controlled play at the first two singles slots.
Kelly Nicklaus picked up one of Caribou’s two wins during Saturday’s Class B state championship match held at Colby College in Waterville. The Vikes fell to Greely of Cumberland, 3-2. (Kevin Sjoberg)
Junior Izzy Evans, a quarterfinalist in this year’s state singles playdown, pulled away from Marquis — a Round of 16 singles qualifier — 6-3, 6-1 at first singles. Senior Kathryn Pare then scored a 6-4, 6-1 win over Caribou junior Ashley Matlock in a baseline battle of Round of 16 qualifiers.
But from there the match proved less predictable.
Caribou scored its first point at second doubles, where juniors Danielle Hanson and Ciara Richards defeated Kaitlyn Thompson and Lea Schuepfer.
But the decisive — and clinching — point came at first doubles, where Greely’s Kate Steinberg and Jordan Bryant topped Hailey Holmquist and Conner Spencer 6-1, 7-6 (7-5).
The Caribou duo built a 5-2 lead in the second set and a third set looked in the offing, only to have Steinberg and Bryant rally for a 5-5 tie. Holmquist and Spencer won the next game, but Greely battled back to force a tiebreaker that it never trailed and won on a second match point.
Senior Kelly Nicklaus secured Caribou’s final point outlasting freshman Paige Evans, Izzy’s sister, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (9-7) in a marathon third-singles encounter.
“(Greely) was a team we really didn’t know,” said longtime Caribou coach John Habeeb. “But after we got on the court and started playing, we could see that we weren’t too far off their caliber. Sometimes you think the southern Maine teams have the advantage with the private coaching and the indoor facilities, but we were on par with them.
“A few points here or there and we could have turned that around.”
