MCI, Piscataquis tennis standouts reach state semifinals
By Ernie Clark, Bangor Daily News Staff
Top-ranked Lidia Gomez Carrera of Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield and No. 6 Fabienne Nowak of Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford will be competing for the state schoolgirl tennis singles championship on Monday.
Gomez and Nowak advanced to the semifinals by winning three matches apiece during early round play Friday and Saturday at the Wallach Tennis Center on the campus of Bates College in Lewiston.
The two international students will play in separate semifinals at the same location beginning at 9:30 a.m. Monday, with Gomez facing No. 5 Mya Vincent of Edward Little High School in Auburn and Nowak matched against No. 2 Coco Meserve of Brunswick.
The semifinal winners will meet at approximately 1 p.m. for the state championship.
Gomez, a native of Spain in her second year at MCI, and the German-born Nowak both received first-round byes.
Gomez kept her undefeated record intact by defeating Camdyn LaMarre of Messalonskee High School in Oakland 6-0, 6-1 in her second-round match Friday, then topped Clarice Bell of Orono 6-1, 6-2 in the Round of 16 and No. 8 Sadie Yentsch of Kennebunk 6-0, 6-1 in the quarterfinals, both on Saturday.
Nowak advanced with similar ease. She topped Emma Landry of Greely High School in Cumberland Center without losing a game in her second-round match, then defeated No. 11 Claudia Dunn of Augusta’s Cony High School 6-0, 6-2 in the Round of 16 and No. 3 Abby Emerson of Gorham 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Meserve dropped just two games in three matches to earn her semifinal berth.
Vincent outlasted Julia Barber of Erskine Academy in South China 10-5 in a super tiebreaker after splitting two sets in their second-round match, then defeated Laura Chapman of Boothbay 6-1, 7-5 in the Round of 16 and No. 4 Amber Woods of Scarborough 6,4, 6-4 in the quarters.
One other eastern Maine player, seventh-seeded Linda Bolten of Mount Desert Island in Bar Harbor, reached the Round of 16 before she was ousted by No. 10 Jenna Lederer of Portland 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
The top four seeds in the boys bracket advanced to the semifinals, led by defending state champion and top-seeded George Cutone of Kennebunk.
Cutone lost just one game in three matches leading to his semifinal against No. 4 Sam Yoon of Falmouth, including a 6-0, 6-0 quarterfinal victory over No. 8 Unai Maldonado of Skowhegan.
Yoon got past Mount Desert Island’s Westy Granholm 6-2, 6-0 in the Round of 16 and then advanced from the quarterfinals when No. 5 Bernardo Tovar of Mt. Blue High School in Farmington retired late in the second set due to leg cramps.
Yoon had won the first set 6-2 and Tovar led the second set 5-4 when the match ended.
The other boys semifinal will match No. 2 Leif Boddie of Greely against No. 3 Gabriel Naftoly of Berwick Academy.
Boddie, who reached the semifinals as the No. 1 seed last year, won his first two matches this year without losing a game before ousting MDI’s Max Friedlander 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Naftoly won his second-round match without losing a match before fighting off an early challenge from Sam Poth of Bangor’s John Bapst Memorial High School to score a 6-4, 6-1 victory in the Round of 16. Naftoly then topped No. 11 Will Best of Yarmouth 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
Other boys to reach the Round of 16 included No. 6 Marco Milano of MCI, Koa Barrett of Ellswoth and Isaac Swain of Medomak Valley in Waldoboro.
MPA state singles tournament
At Bates College, Lewiston
Girls
Friday, May 20
First round
Camdyn LaMarre (Messalonskee) def. Anah Albert (Fort Kent), 6-4, 6-4; Claire Dwyer (Maranacook) def. Sarah Moulton (Washington Acad.) 6-4, 6-3; Clarice Bell (Orono) def. Eliza Naftoly (Berwick Acad.) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (8); Lelia Weir (MDI) def. Isobel Wright (Greely) 6-1, 6-0; Hannah Blanchette (Madawaska) def. Tia Anderson (Marshwood) 2-6, 7-6 (6), 1-0 (4); Emilia Ilyas (Kennebunk) def. Emily Campbell (Waterville) 6-3, 6-1; Mia Netland (Greely) def. Sydney Loring (Old Town) 6-1, 7-5; Alyssa Conley (Windham) def. Emma Omiecinski (Lewiston) 6-0, 6-0; Julia Barber (Erskine Acad.) def. Alexis Doten (Calais) 6-0, 6-0; Laura Chapman (Boothbay) def. Kayla Lockhart (Brewer) 7-5, 6-3; Laura Mueller (Lincoln Acad.) def. Sophie Blanco (Winthrop) 6-2, 6-0; Emma Lindsey (Greely) def. Grace Bell (Mt. Blue) 6-0, 6-0; Allie Young (Hall-Dale) def. Mia Theriault (Caribou) 6-4, 7-6 (5); Charlotte Williamson (Falmouth) def. Libby Forgues (Lewiston) 6-2, 6-3; Francesca Lombardo (Calais) def. Sanibel Shinners (Scarborough) 6-1, 7-6 (1); Madelyn Deprey (Caribou) def. Ariana Cote (Thornton Acad.) 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (8); Andrea Lamontagne (Kennebunk) def. Kusha Kane (Maranacook) 6-2, 6-2; Haylie Peacock (Gardiner) def. Luna Smith Mejia (Greely) 6-4, 6-0; Rebecca Naftoly (Berwick Acad.) def. Zoe Castrucci (Hampden Acad.) 6-0, 6-1; Keira Gilman (Waterville) def. Celia Buetens (Orono) 6-3, 7-5
Second round
(1) Lidia Gomez Carrera (MCI) def. LaMarre, 6-0, 6-1; Bell def. Dwyer, 6-4, 6-1; (8) Sadie Yentsch (Kennebunk) def. Weir, 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (8); (9) Caroline Gentile (Cape Elizabeth) def. Blanchette, 6-0, 6-0; (4) Amber Woods (Scarborough) def. Ilyas, 6-1, 6-4; Netland def. Conley, 6-1, 6-1; (5) Mya Vincent (Edward Little) def. Barber, 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (5); Chapman def. (12) Ashlyn Bouchard (Caribou) 6-2, 6-2; (11) Claudia Dunn (Cony) def. Mueller, 6-4, 6-3; (6) Fabienne Nowak (Piscataquis) def. Lindsey, 6-0, 6-0; Williamson def. Young, 7-5, 6-7 (2), 1-0 (6); (3) Abby Emerson (Gorham) def. Lombardo, 6-0, 6-3; (10) Jenna Lederer (Portland) def. Deprey, 6-0, 6-0; (7) Linda Bolten (MDI) def. Lamontagne, 6-1, 6-1; Peacock def. R.Naftoly, 6-4, 5-1 (ret.); (2) Coco Meserve (Brunswick) def. Gilman, 6-0, 6-0
Saturday, May 21
Round of 16
(1) Gomez def. Bell 6-1, 6-2; (8) Yentsch def. (9) Gentile 6-4, 6-3; (4) Woods def. Netland 6-2, 6-0; (5) Vincent def. Chapman 6-1, 7-5; (6) Nowak def. Dunn 6-0, 6-2; (3) Emerson def. Williamson 6-0, 6-0; (10) Lederer def. (7) Bolten 4-6, 6-1, 7-5; (2) Meserve def. Peacock 6-3, 6-0
Quarterfinals
(1) Gomez def. (8) Yentsch, 6-0, 6-1; (5) Vincent def. (4) Woods, 6-4, 6-3; (6) Nowak def. (3) Emerson, 6-1, 6-1; (2) Meserve def. (10) Lederer, 6-0, 6-0
Monday, May 23
Semifinals, 9:30 a.m.
(1) Gomez vs. (5) Vincent
(2) Meserve vs. (6) Nowak
Championship, 1 p.m.
Semifinal winners
Boys
Friday, May 20
First round
Charles Segal (Greely) def. Rath Schoenthal (Lincoln Acad.) 6-4, 6-1; Lucas Pawlina (Edward Little) def. Devon Polley (Erskine Acad.) 6-4, 6-2; Quinn Federle (Yarmouth) def. Finn Castrucci (Hampden Acad.) 6-1, 6-4; Dominic Walls (Portland) def. Gavin Bavis (Lewiston) 6-1, 6-0; Carson Zundel (Mt. Blue) def. Abe Bouchard (Caribou) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (4); Henry Kerr (Waynflete) def. Mattia Meucci (MCI) 7-5, 6-3; Westy Granholm (MDI) def. Ethan Carlisle (Presque Isle) 6-0, 6-0; Peter Rinehart (Greely) def. Collin Bennett (Fort Kent) 6-1, 6-0; Gabe Berman (Cape Elizabeth) def. Laken Walker (John Bapst) 6-0, 6-0; Koa Barrett (Ellsworth) def. Nick Poulin (Waterville) 6-3, 7-6 (2); Drake Turcotte (Skowhegan) def. Isaac Ouellette (Madison) 6-0, 6-0; Merrick Meardon (Brunswick) def. Luke Carey (Carrabec) 6-4, 6-4; Jordan Clavette (Wisdom) def. James Stinson (Mt. Blue) 6-3, 6-2; Sam Poth (John Bapst) def. Eben Harrison (Cape Elizabeth) 6-1, 6-2; Landon Weaver (Mt. Ararat) def. Bryce Poulin (NYA) 6-3, 6-3; Max Friedlander (MDI) def. Casey Duncan (Lincoln Acad.) 6-2, 6-0; Isaac Swain (Medomak Valley) def. Robbie Bennett (GSA) 6-3, 6-3; Jonah Chen (Edward Little) def. Arda Parilti (Lee Acad.) 6-1, 6-1; Will Smith (Kennebunk) def. Alberto DiGirolamo (MCI) 6-0, 6-1; Anton Behuniak (Cheverus) def. Theodore Demetriou (Waynflete) 6-4, 6-3
Second round
(1) George Cutone (Kennebunk) def. Segal, 6-0. 6-0; Federle def. Pawlina, 6-0, 6-1; (8) Unai Maldonado (Skowhegan) def. Walls, 6-0, 6-2; (9) Daniel Landry (Deering) def. Zundel, 6-0, 6-1; (4) Sam Yoon (Falmouth) def. Kerr, 6-2, 6-1; Granholm def. Rinehart, 6-1, 6-2; (5) Bernardo Tovar (Mt. Blue) def. Berman, 6-3, 6-0; Barrett def. (12) Xavier Deschaine (Van Buren) 6-4, 7-5; (11) Will Best (Yarmouth) def. Turcotte, 6-0, 6-1; (6) Marco Milano (MCI) def. Meardon, 7-6 (9), 6-0; Poth def. Clavette, 6-2, 6-0; (3) Gabriel Naftoly (Berwick Acad.) def. Weaver, 6-0, 6-0; (2) Leif Boddie (Greely) def. Behuniak, 6-0, 6-0; Friedlander def. (10) Terry Ma (Thornton Acad.) 7-6 (6), 6-3; Swain def. (7) Sean Flynn (John Bapst) 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (8); Smith def. Chen, 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (6)
Saturday, May 21
Round of 16
(1) Cutone def. Federle 6-0, 6-1; (8) Maldonado def. (9) Landry 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; (4) Yoon def. Granholm 6-2 ,6-0; (5) Tovar def. Barrett 6-2, 6-2; Best def. (6) Milano 7-5, 6-1; (3) Naftoly def. Poth 6-4, 6-1; Friedlander def. Swain 6-1, 6-4; (2) Boddie def. Smith 6-0, 6-0
Quarterfinals
(1) Cutone def. (8) Maldonado, 6-0, 6-0; (4) Yoon def. (5) Tovar, 6-2, 4-5 (ret.); (3) Naftoly def. (11) Best, 6-0, 6-2; (2) Boddie def. Friedlander, 6-1, 6-1
Monday, May 23
Semifinals, 9:30 a.m.
(1) Cutone vs. (4) Yoon
(2) Boddie vs. (3) Naftoly
Championship, 1 p.m.
Semifinal winners