Undefeated MCI tennis player will finally get to compete for a state title
Lidia Gomez Carrera went undefeated throughout her initially yr of large college tennis as a junior at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield but by no means bought the likelihood to confirm where her game stood in contrast with her statewide competitiveness.
The native of Caceres, Spain, a metropolis of just under 100,000 residents in the west central part of the country near its border with Portugal, was unable to participate in the 2021 point out singles event due to COVID-relevant vacation and quarantine mandates in the aftermath of a journey back again property.
A 12 months later, Gomez remains undefeated in large faculty competitiveness whilst major the MCI women tennis staff to the leading place in Course C North with a 9-1 document. This weekend she’ll get the opportunity to check her individual abilities additional as the No. 1 women seed for the 2022 state singles event at Lewiston Significant College.
The very first two rounds are scheduled for Friday, with the Round of 16 and quarterfinals on Saturday and the semifinals and championship matches on Monday.
“There ended up a whole lot of persons who observed her enjoy previous calendar year who ended up upset she couldn’t be in the tournament due to the fact they ended up psyched to see what she could have accomplished,” stated John Purchases, who coaches the MCI boys and girls tennis groups with his sister Jocelyn.
Gomez hasn’t been intensely challenged in a match this yr, advancing by the Region 2 qualifying tournament without the need of losing a match.
Her toughest levels of competition to date has been from sixth-seeded Fabienne Nowak, an international university student from Germany attending Piscataquis Community Substantial Faculty in Guilford whom she has defeated 2 times in professional-set matches.
Significantly of her fiercest tennis this spring has arrive from in the MCI program, specially three customers of the boys’ crew from Italy who also have skilled for states singles enjoy, Marco Milano, Mattia Meucci and Alberto DeGirolamo.
That trio has led the MCI boys to the No. 2 seed in Course C North with a 9-1 history.
“I’m so much superior this yr because I have them to enjoy,” reported Gomez, who plans to keep on her scientific studies and tennis occupation upcoming year at Westcliff College in Irvine, California. “They’re at my level so we can coach much better with every other.”
Real truth be advised, Gomez far more than holds her individual towards her male Huskies’ counterparts.
“It’s been actually great for Lidia and them to all be enjoying with each other,” Buys stated, “and I’ll be trustworthy, Lidia type of outschools Marco and Mattia and Alberto pretty handily.”
Buys describes Gomez’s activity as 1 of precision through her ability to slender her focus on locations to little parts of the court,
“She has a whole lot of range in her sport, but what I love the most about her recreation is the incredible way she sees the court docket,” he stated. “Her ground-stroke placement is awesome. She moves her opponents well, even in times when I think she’s in a defensive situation. It is this excellent design and style of turning her protection into offense that results in some actually spectacular tennis.”
Gomez’s route to turning out to be MCI’s initially state singles champion will be challenged by a subject of rivals led by 2nd-seeded Coco Meserve of Brunswick and top gamers from northern and jap Maine in Nowak, seventh-seeded Linda Bolten of Mount Desert Island and No. 12 Ashlyn Bouchard of Caribou.
The area could have been even deeper, but defending champion Sofia Mavor of Yarmouth opted not to engage in superior school tennis this year following not losing a one set en route to profitable the 2021 condition title as a freshman.
In addition, freshman Olivia Cutone of Kennebunk Significant School, rated No. 1 in the New England 16-and-under division and also nationally ranked in the two that age team and the 18-and-unders, is enjoying this weekend at a United States Tennis Association event in Ga.
Cutone’s brother George, a sophomore at Kennebunk Large, is top rated seeded and the defending state winner in the boys industry. He received his very first 4 matches without having getting rid of a activity as the No. 2 seed at states final spring just before outlasting Foxcroft Academy’s Caleb Fockens in a a few-set title match.
His major challenger really should be next-seeded Leif Boddie, a senior from Greely High Faculty in Cumberland Center who was the best seed final spring and attained the semifinals before falling to Fockens in straight sets.
Amid the boys seeds from eastern and northern Maine are No. 6 Milano of MCI, No. 7 Sean Flynn of John Bapst in Bangor, No. 8 Unai Maldonado of Skowhegan and No. 12 Xavier Deschaine of Van Buren.
Flynn reached the Round of 16 as the 12th seed in previous year’s tourney just before slipping to fifth-seeded Dawson Turcotte of Skowhegan in 3 sets. Deschaine reached the 2nd round last spring.
