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Key Components
Woodstock Academy players, from left: Gabriel Viau, Evan Haskins and Jai Abrams, will be key components for the Centaurs’ boys tennis team this season. Photo by Trent Peters/The Woodstock Academy.

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In tennis: A
good problem
to have
Last year, Woodstock Academy boys’ tennis coach Siana Green was a little concerned. Her team was so young; she really didn’t know how it would all fall in place.
“This year, my problem is, I have too many good players and I don’t know who is going to get the (starting) spots,” Green said.
The Centaurs finished 7-7 overall and 7-1 in Div. II of the ECC a season ago.
Green did lose her No. 1 singles player from last year, Stefan Chervenkov, but has senior Joe Zhou coming back after a couple of years layoff.
Zhou played for the Centaurs as a freshman but was sidelined, as was everyone, by the pandemic in 2020 and didn’t return to campus due to travel restrictions in 2021.
He is currently locked in a competition with junior Gabriel Viau for the top singles spot for the Centaurs.
“Gabriel played No. 1 doubles last year,” Green said. “Joe and Evan (Haskins) played third doubles together (three years ago) and Joe just kills every ball he gets. That’s his go-to and it works - most of the time.”
Senior Jai Abrams and junior Cormac Nielsen will also likely play singles with Haskins possibly seeing time in both singles and doubles play.
“We have a lot of good returning players, several good freshmen this year too. We do have a lot of good singles players, five of us, we’re good,” Nielsen said.
Juniors James Le, Diego Rodriguez and sophomores Cang Nguyen, Kyle Pazienza and Ethan Staples are also in the doubles mix.
Green also has the benefit of five talented freshmen.
One thing she does not have – home courts: The tennis courts at the Bentley Athletic Complex are unplayable this season.
Both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams are practicing at Pomfret School and will play their matches at Killingly High School.
The Centaurs will again be in Div. II of the ECC, just with some different dance partners.
NFA (0-12-1 last season), New London (2-10-1) and Ledyard (9-5) will join the Centaurs in the division.
“We didn’t play New London or Ledyard last year, so we have no idea what those teams will be like. It’s exciting. I’m feeling hopeful because we have done well against them in the past. We have a shot. I’m feeling positive that this may be a year where we don’t have to share a title (the Centaurs and Montville tied for the D-II regular season a year ago),” Green said.
Boys’ Tennis Schedule: Mon., April 4: at St. Bernard/Wheeler, 4:30; Wed., April 13: at Ledyard, 3:45; Sat., April 16:  vs. NFA (at Killingly), 11; Mon., April 18:  at Montville; 3:45; Tues., April 19:   vs. Fitch (at Killingly, 5; Wed., April 20: at Fitch, 3:45; Mon., April 25: at Ledyard, 4; Fri., April 29: vs. Waterford (at Killingly), 4:15; Mon., May 2, at NFA, 3:45; Fri., May 6: at Stonington, 4:15; Sat., May 7: vs. New London (at Killingly), 11; Mon., May 9: at New London, 4:30; Wed., May 11:  at E. Lyme, 4:15; Sat., May 14,  vs. Lyman (at Killingly), 11.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

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