CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Vikings’ tennis teams have reached the semifinals of the Class B North tennis tournament after winning home quarterfinal matches Thursday.
Both squads improved to 13-0 overall.
It wasn’t actually a true home match for the second-seeded Caribou girls, who had to play against No. 7 Hermon on the indoor courts at the Multi-Purpose Center in Madawaska due to rain in the afternoon.
The Vikings were still able to prevail, winning all five individual matches for the 13th consecutive time this season. The three singles players and two doubles teams all won in straight sets.
“The girls team played well again,” said Caribou coach John Habeeb. “The closest match was in second doubles (Ciara Richards and Danielle Hanson), who struggled early but [they were] to win the tie break in the first set and then cruised in the second. All the singles players played very well along with first doubles.”
They will play No. 3 John Bapst in Caribou Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., or if it is raining, 5 p.m. in Madawaska. The teams met in the first match of the season, with the Vikings prevailing.
The Caribou boys played outdoors earlier in the afternoon and the No. 1 Vikings slipped past No. 8 Belfast, 3-2. Caribou won two of the three singles matches and also prevailed in No. 2 doubles.
“The boys match was not as close as it looked,” Habeeb said. “We had clinched the third point well before the two losses. The Belfast team was strong at first and second singles and first doubles.”
Austin Cheplic filled in for Emerson Duplissie-Cyr (mononeucleosis) on the first doubles team, which won its first set before falling in the next two, one in a tie-breaker.
The Vikings advance to take on No. 4 Waterville in the next round Saturday in Caribou. It will be the first meeting of the year between the two teams. The match will be played at 2 p.m. In the event of rain, it will be held at 3 p.m. in Madawaska.
Results of Thursday’s matches follow:
Caribou (13-0) 5, Hermon (9-5) 0 — Singles: Gabrielle Marquis (Car) def. Alex Allain 6-3, 6-1; Ashley Matlock (Car) def. Maddie Willis 6-0, 6-0; Kelly Nicklaus (Car) def. Jillian Taylor 6-1, 6-0; doubles: Conner Spencer-Hailey Holmquist (Car) def. Maddie Pullen/Paige Plissey 6-0, 6-2; Richards-Hanson (Car) def. Olivia Tardie-Maddi Willey 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Caribou (13-0) 3, Belfast (8-6) 2 — Singles: Josh Chun (B) def. Alec Cyr 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Parker Deprey (Car) def. Eli Jolliffe 6-2, 6-4; Gabriel Rand (Car) def. Nolan Woods 6-0, 6-0; doubles: Rudi Schnetzer-Ulysse Bex (B) def. Bailey Griffeth/Cheplic 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3; Seth Beidelman-Aidan Plante (Car) def. Dylan Clark-Adrian Santofamia 6-4, 6-2.
