Wildcat tennis loses close quarterfinal to Ellsworth Eagles, finish at 12-2

 ELLSWORTH, Maine — In a marathon contest that saw three matches extended to three sets, host Ellsworth outlasted Presque Isle, 3-2, last Wednesday in an Eastern Maine girls’ Class B quarterfinal.
The Eagles, the No. 4 seed, improved to 11-2 and moved onto the semifinal round, while Presque Isle completed the most successful season under veteran coach Monica Bearden, finishing at 12-2 as the fifth seed in the division.
In singles play, Olivia Mora of the Eagles needed three sets to dispatch of PI’s Sara Gilson, 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-3; while Lily Watanabe of Ellsworth stopped the Wildcats’ Hilary Boucher, also in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. In No. 3 singles, the Eagles’ Sarah Shelton blanked PI’s Blair Bailey, 6-0, 6-0.
The Wildcats earned their victories in doubles. Michelle Cawley and Lora Ireland defeated Lauren Hale and Josie Schmale, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; while Sarah Morneault and Sedona Lucas topped Sydnee Rae and Alexa Grant in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
“We went in knowing it was going to be a tough match and it certainly was,” Bearden said. “It was both physically and mentally draining for the players as the match went on for 3-1/2 hours.
“It was a disappointing 3-2 loss because it meant our season came to an abrupt end. The girls gave 100 percent and I couldn’t have asked for more. I am very proud of their quarterfinal performance along with the entire season,” she added.