September 22, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Belanger win lifts Caribou to final

The scouting report on Caribou High School tennis player Chelsea Belanger is straight and to the point: She wins the big matches.

With her team knotted at 2-2 in Saturday’s Eastern Maine Class A semifinal match against top-seeded Cony, Belanger’s No. 3 singles match against Jen Lipman came down to a must-win situation.

After splitting the first two sets in tie breakers, Belanger won the decisive third set to seal a 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 victory, giving the defending state champion Vikings a return trip to the regional big school title match.

The fourth-seeded Caribou girls, now 14-0, will face third-seeded Gardiner in a rematch for the state title on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at the University of Maine in Orono.

In last year’s title match between the Vikings and the Tigers, Belanger clinched the state crown with her 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) win over a Gardiner player.

Belanger’s match and Caribou’s win highlighted a rain-shortened Saturday of semifinal State Team Tennis Tournament playoff action around the state.

The top-seeded Vikings boys also clinched a trip to the regional final by posting a 4-1 win over No. 4 Old Town. Caribou will face second-seeded Cony of Augusta for the title, also at 3 p.m.

Cony defeated Brunswick 3-2 in the other “A” semi.

In Class B action, sixth-seeded Houlton pulled off its second upset of the playoffs with a 5-0 win over second-seeded Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield.

The Shiretowners will face Camden-Rockport for the regional title on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Waterville High School. The Windjammers eked out a 3-2 win over Ellsworth to advance.

In the girls division, top-seeded Mount Desert Island shut out Camden-Rockport 5-0 and will face Ellsworth on Wednesday in Waterville. Ellsworth, which has lost to MDI twice this season, beat Dexter in its semifinal on Friday.

Class C action was rained out region-wide.

The Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln-at-Calais girls match was postponed until Tuesday at 4 p.m., with the Woodland-at-Schenck of East Millinocket semifinal postponed until 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Penobscot Valley of Howland-at-Calais boys match was also postponed until Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Top-seeded Schenck, a 3-2 Friday winner over Van Buren, waits in the wings.

Western Maine teams also set up regional championship matches.

In Class A action, the South Portland boys beat Lewiston and the Sanford boys beat Cheverus of Portland. Both matches were 3-2. The Lewiston girls, meanwhile, edged Bonny Eagle of Buxton 3-2 while South Portland beat Sanford 5-0.

In the “B” ranks, the boys and girls from Cape Elizabeth and York will meet in the WM finals. The Cape boys beat Kennebunk 4-1 while the Cape girls shut out Kennebunk 5-0. York’s boys squad shut out Mountain Valley of Rumford 5-0 while York’s girls team whitewashed Gorham 5-0.

In Class C, the Yarmouth boys beat St. Dominic of Lewiston 3-2, the Hall-Dale of Hallowell boys beat North Yarmouth 3-2, the St. Dominic girls beat Dirigo of Dixfield 5-0, and Yarmouth stopped Hall-Dale 4-1.

EASTERN MAINE TEAM TENNIS SEMIFINALS CLASS A BOYS At Edmundston, New Brunswick

Caribou (13-0) 4, Old Town (12-2) 1

Singles: Erik Salminen (C) def. Constantine Markides 8-5; Ryan Genz (C) def. Ben Curtis 6-2, 7-5; James Davis (C) def. Brian Grigsby 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6); Doubles: Gerry Swetnam-Laurent Lugbull (C) def. Eric Morrison-Benji Blake 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Travis Blake-Nathan McLaughlin (OT) def. Seth Hebert-Dale Currier 6-4, 7-5.

At Augusta

Cony 3, Brunswick 2

John Gasink (C) def. Nick Livesay 6-2, 6-2; Seth Meyer (C) def. Jay Cullivan 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-0; Jason Brann (C) def. Daniel Gueorguiev 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; Doubles: Wes McCullough-Chris Goodwin (B) def. Mark Sienko-John Martin 6-1, 4-6, 6-1; Mason Irish-Nick Wilkoff (B) def. Greg Noblet-Rob Chamberlin 7-6 (9-7), 6-4.

GIRLS At Augusta

Caribou (14-0) 3, Cony (11-2) 2

Singles: Anna Chai (Co) def. Anne Bernard 6-1, 6-1; Lise Carter (Car) def. Kathy Blais 6-3, 7-6 (7-3); Chelsea Belanger (Car) def. Jen Lipman 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3; Doubles: Dawn Johnston-Ellen Konieczko (Co) def. Karen Rockwell-Jenny Hunter 6-3, 6-1; Sheri Dyer-Tiffany Pelletier (Car) def. Yun-Suk Choi-Susan Johnston 6-3, 7-5.

At Brewer

Gardiner (10-1) 4, Brewer (12-2) 1

Singles: Kim Palmer (G) def. Jaime Ferris 0-6, 6-4, 6-2; Sasha Blood (B) def. Tanya Birrenbach 6-2, 6-3; Shannon Gagnon (G) def. Chandra Blood 6-3, 6-0; Doubles: Carolyn Lundquist-Jackie Geis (G) def. Tiffany Trott-Holly Perry 6-0, 6-2; Karen Violette-Jenny Wiles (G) def. Brenda Blaine-Betsy Hatfield 7-5, 6-4.

CLASS B BOYS At Pittsfield

Houlton (9-6) 5, Maine Central Institute (9-4) 0

Singles: Arnaud Deraemaeker (H) def. Ryan Delano 6-1, 6-0; Daniel Sanchez (H) def. Andy Louder 6-2, 6-3; Zach Goodwin (H) def. Brandon Delano 6-0, 6-4; Doubles: Albert Putnam-Jeremy Tweedie (H) def. Tom Ward-Kevin Brown 6-6, retired; Ben Goodwin-Jeff Hanscom (H) def. Eric Love-David Bertrand 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.

At Trenton

Camden-Rockport 3, Ellsworth 2

Singles: Carlos Costa (CR) def. Christian Balmer 6-4, 6-2; Geoff Oldread (CR) def. Ted Buswell 6-0, 6-4; Art Van Sciver (CR) def. Ben Harmon 6-0, 6-3; Doubles: Adrian Gray-Chad Thomas (E) def. Marc Macfarlane-Jay Mitchell 6-1, 1-6, 6-4; Ben McGraw-Nat Eberle (E) def. Sebastian Quinn-Mike Theriault 6-1, 6-0.

GIRLS At Bar Harbor

Mount Desert Island (15-0) 5, Camden-Rockport 0

Singles: Nellie Fox (MDI) def. Erin Spencer 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (11-9); Laura Welles (MDI) def. Joanna Babb 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (12-10); Jill Pelletier (MDI) def. Andrea Babb 6-2, 6-0; Doubles: Sarah Muzzy-Anna Hathaway (MDI) def. Lisa Halverson-Maggie Crass 6-2, 6-2; Martha Ratner-Chafee Emory (MDI) def. Molly Sanford-Martha Sanford 6-2, 6-1.

CLASS C BOYS

Penobscot Valley at Calais, ppd., Tuesday, 11 a.m. GIRLS

Mattanawcook Academy at Calais, ppd., Tuesday, 4 p.m.

Woodland at Schenck, ppd., Tuesday, 1 p.m. (tent.)


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