HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton boys and girls tennis teams opened their respective seasons Thursday with a doubleheader against Madawaska. The Shire boys swept the host Owls 3-2 in both matches, while the girls lost both of their matches to the hosts, 0-5.
Saturday, the Shires were back on the courts, squaring off against Stearns of Millinocket. The Shire boys were victorious 5-0, but the Houlton girls fell 0-5.
On Monday, the Houlton boys (3-1) fell for the first time on the season, suffering a 4-1 loss to Van Buren. The Shire girls (0-4) were shutout by the Crusaders 5-0, as they continue to look for their first win of the year.
According to Houlton coach Jean Maunder, the Shires have had a busy road stretch to open the season. While the boys are off to a strong start, the girls continue to improve with each match, she said.
Results from Monday’s match at Houlton were as follows:
Van Buren boys 4, Houlton 1: In singles, Lucas Anderson lost to Eric LaPlante, 2-8; Zach Harvey defeated Mark Levasseur, 8-1; and Josh Sullivan fell to Connor LaPierre, 4-8. In doubles, Ethan Nickerson and Lucas Grant were beaten by Forrest Bouchard and Jordan Banks, 7-9; and Steve Phillips and Dakota Gramour lost to Nick Violette and John Parent, 1-8.
Van Buren girls 5, Houlton 0: In singles, Courtney Bragan lost to Haley Lizotte, 1-8; Autumn London fell to Parise Rossignol, 0-8; and Houlton forfeited to Van Buren. In doubles, Janelle Levesque and Kristen Goodall were beaten by Courtney Parent and Chantel Rioux, 1-8; and Tessa Winship and Sarah Sirois lost to Chantel Deveau and Ashley Martin, 0-8.
Results from last Thursday’s matches, with Shires listed first, were as follows:
Houlton boys 3, Madawaska 2: In singles, Anderson defeated Ian Lee, 8-4; Cody Woods beat Jake Gendreau, 8-3; and Sullivan bested Matt Deschenes, 8-4. In doubles, Nickerson and Robbie Williams lost to Greg Faucher and Aaron Thibeault, 3-8; and Phillips and Grant were beaten by Sam Dechaine and Matt Boucher, 6-8.
Houlton boys 3, Madawaska 2 (second match): In singles, Anderson defeated Lee, 8-6; Harvey bested Gendreau, 9-7; and Woods beat Deschenes, 8-4. In doubles, Nickerson and Sullivan lost to Faucher and Thibeault, 6-8; and Phillips and Robbie Williams fell to Dechaine and Ethan Wetmore, 3-8.
Madawaska girls 5, Houlton 0: In singles, Caleigh Sullivan lost to Emily Collins, 0-8; London fell to Megan Ouellette, 0-8; and Jasmine Hardy was beaten by Lindsey Lavoie, 0-8. In doubles, Jackie Condon and Levesque lost to Nathalie Cyr and Roxy Levesque, 0-8; and Winship and Sirois fell to Cassie Nelson and Lori Guerrette, 0-8.
Madawaska girls 5, Houlton 0 (second match): In singles, Sullivan lost to Collins, 0-8; London was beaten by M. Ouellette, 0-8; and Hardy fell to Lavoie, 0-8. In doubles, Condon and Levesque lost to Allison Cyr and Sarah Ringuette, 0-8; and Winship and Sirois were beaten by Anna Faucher and Mariah Hebert, 1-8.
Individual results from Saturday’s match against Stearns were not available from coach Maunder due to incomplete scorebooks.