CARIBOU, Maine — The Viking tennis teams are perennial playoff teams and often challenge for regional titles. This year is no exception as both the Caribou boys and girls rolled through the regular season and have high hopes to at least reach the championship round.
The boys are the No. 1 team in Class B North after going 12-0. They defeated John Bapst in the opener, 3-2, and after that won all their matches by 5-0 scores. The boys will host either Old Town or Belfast in the quarterfinals Thursday.
The girls are the second seed in the division, but were even more dominant than the boys team as they won all 12 of their regular season matches by 5-0 scores. Caribou will play either Ellsworth or Hermon in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
John Habeeb serves as the coach of both teams, with Sarah LaJoie his assistant. The following are profiles of both squads.
Boys
The boys made it into the Class B North title match last year and as the top-ranked team, has a good chance to get back.
“All the boys worked hard during the summer,” Habeeb said. “and we’ll be competitive in the playoffs.”
The coach expects the greatest challenges to come from No. 2 Camden Hills, as well as Waterville and John Bapst.
Alec Cyr, a junior, has had an excellent season as the No. 1 singles player. He is a strong all-court player and plays well in the clutch.
Cyr was the top seed in the region in singles and was ranked 11th in the state, but fell to Decian Archer of Kennebunk in the Round of 32 Friday in Portland, 6-0, 6-4.
Freshman Parker Deprey moved his way up to second singles and had a great run in the state tourney, making it into the Round of 16 with wins over Peter Barry of Portland, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and Malcolm Avore of Hall-Dale, 6-3, 7-5. His journey ended with a decisive loss to top-seed Nick Mathieu of Mt. Ararat, the reigning state champion.
Habeeb says Deprey possesses a lot of raw ability and has plenty of potential in years to come.
Sophomore Gabe Rand holds down the third singles position. He has overcome a lot of injuries and is solid at the net and the baseline.
Juniors Emerson Duplissie-Cyr and Bailey Griffeth make up the first doubles team, while junior Seth Beidelman and freshman Aidan Plante are in No. 2 doubles.
Girls
The Viking girls want to make amends after being upset at home by Camden Hills in the semifinal round last year. They sure made a statement during the regular season by going undefeated and doing it without losing many individual games in both singles and doubles.
“Last year, we feel we gave something away,” Habeeb said. “We’ve definitely gotten better.”
Gabrielle Marquis had another strong run in the state singles tournament and is now ready to help Caribou challenge for a Class B North team title with the playoffs beginning this week.
(Staff photo/Kevin Sjoberg)
Gabrielle Marquis made it into the Round of 16 in state singles for the second consecutive year. The junior, who is back at first singles for the Vikings, downed Cassie Ridge of Brunswick, 6-2, 6-2, after drawing a bye into the Round of 32. She then played No. 9 Lexi Epstein of Waynflete and was defeated.
Marquis uses spins more than anybody, according to Habeeb, and owns a lethal topspin forehand. She puts in the extra effort during the off-season with trips to indoor facilities in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Bangor.
Junior Ashley Matlock has been a consistent player out of the second singles spot.
“She doesn’t get rattled and is good at using all sides of the court and making her opponent work,” Habeeb said.
Matlock performed well at the state tourney. She lost to No. 4 Izzy Evans of Greely in the Round of 16, 6-0, 6-3, after topping Ellie Hodgkin of Erskine in the Round of 32, 7-5, 6-3.
Kelly Nicklaus, a senior, was welcomed into the starting lineup after transferring from Ohio. She has a solid tennis background and plays third singles. Nicklaus has a very good serve and a good return. She made it into the state singles tourney but lost in the first round to Meredith Kelley of Falmouth, 6-1, 6-4.
Senior Conner Spencer teams with sophomore Hailey Holmquist in No. 1 doubles. Spencer has made a difficult adjustment back to doubles after playing singles the past two seasons, but the two make a solid tandem as Holmquist is an excellent doubles player who is “vicious” at the net, according to Habeeb.
Juniors Danielle Hanson and Ciara Richards played first doubles last year and are now at No. 2. They won the Penobscot Valley Conference doubles title in 2016.
“If you look at our overall caliber, we are a little better than last year,” Habeeb said, “but it all depends on how we play on a given day.”
