by
Anne Berleant
The George Stevens Academy tennis teams competed in singles play at Colby College this weekend, with “all the players representing themselves well,” said boys’ coach Larry Gray.
But it is in team tennis that the players are shining this year.
Currently, the boys hold first place in eastern Class C play, with an 11-1 regular season record. The girls slid into a third-place finish by a slim margin, ahead of Lee Academy, at 10-2.
As the top seed, the boys are granted a bye and will go straight to quarterfinal play on May 31. The girls play preliminary playoffs this week to see if they’ll join the boys team in the quarterfinals.
In the state singles tournament, Johnny Xue advanced to the round of 16. Jasper Adam “put up a good fight against a tough opponent,” said Gray, before losing to a Kennebunk player.
On the girl’s side, Sotherd Steer battled to the round of 32 before falling to Caribou in “a hard-fought two-set match, with both sets decided by a tie breaker,” said Gray.
For post-season team play, both the boys and girls high rankings have earned them home court advantage. Quarterfinal play happens on May 31, with the semifinals June 2, and the regional finals on June 6. If all goes well, the teams will head back to Colby College for the state team championships on June 9.
