Jayden Drost returns a shot in Panther preseason action on Tuesday, April 14. (Paula Roberts photo)
The Medomak Valley boys tennis team will have an unexpected advantage this spring as they look to improve upon their 7-5 regular season record last season. The 2026 team will feature depth due to having 12 players on the roster, double what they had last year when the team was forced to forfeit one match at each competition.
This year’s squad has a strong core of experienced players. Senior Jayden Drost, juniors Kollin Donlin and Michael Riley, and sophomore Judd Gamage all return from last year’s team that advanced to the Class B South playoffs before losing to Cape Elizabeth in the quarterfinals.
“The biggest surprise this year has been the number of new players, and how well they have done, being only one week into the season so far,” said Panthers head coach Kevin Richardson. “We are still figuring out the ladder to determine who will play in the varsity matches.”
Donlin was the first singles player last season, Riley was the second singles player, and Gamage and Jayden were the first doubles pairing. The third singles player last season, captain Gavin White, graduated. This year’s captain has not been named yet.
Aside from Donlin and Riley having a virtual lock on the top two singles positions, the other five players in the starting lineup will be determined as the preseason progresses and the singles and doubles roles are further defined.
“Kollin and Michael are expected to have the biggest impact, as they are returning after being the number one and two singles players, respectively, last year,” said Richardson. “Judd and Jayden were new to the sport last year, have made significant improvements, and should continue to be impact players.”
Although he did not compete last year, senior Mason Nguyen is returning after playing his freshmen and sophomore years. Nguyen, a star basketball player for the Panthers, was a frequent starter in one of the three singles positions during his sophomore year.
Richardson said the team has many new athletic players eager to learn and quickly picking up the game, who he thinks will make significant contributions to the doubles teams in particular.
“Sophomore Liam Doughty is currently leading the new players, but the competition for ladder positions is very close and I could see any one of them stepping up and making a big difference for our team as well,” Richardson said.
Also on the roster this year are juniors Nicholas Rogers and Robert Anderson and freshmen Sebastian Mank, Cian Lally, Rhys Boody, and Garrett Soiett.
Richardson, in his second season as the head coach, will be supported this season by volunteer assistant coach Jaden Abruzese.
Richardson noted that there are particular matchups in the schedule that will help measure the ongoing progress of the boys tennis program.
“MCI, Waterville, and Lincoln Academy are always good teams, so we know those will be a good test to see how much we have improved since last season,” said Richardson.
The Panthers will host a preseason scrimmage against Boothbay on Tuesday, April 14 before their first regular season match of the season on Friday, April 17 at Belfast.
Kollin Donlin, who was the first singles player for the Panthers last season, is expected to fill the role again this spring. (Mic LeBel photo, LCN file)
