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Tennis team
is tops in
Division I
Winning a match against a strong team like Stonington isn’t something that doesn’t happen often.
Trying to do that twice in one season?
Near impossible.
Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis coach Ann Rathbone knew that was likely the case.
“Stonington was a sleeping bear and if you poke a sleeping bear, it’s going to come back at you with everything it has. I knew it was going to be difficult,” said Rathbone.
The veteran coach was right.
Stonington came primed for a rematch and posted a 6-1 victory over the Centaurs May 18.
The win didn’t totally ruin the Centaurs’ day.
Woodstock Academy (11-4), with the previous over the Bears, earned a share of the ECC Div. I title with Stonington. The two teams finished with 5-1 league records.
“We’re really happy,” said senior Mari Ruggeri. “Stonington has been taking the title for the past few years and to finally beat them, taking at least a part of the title, is a super-huge goal for us and was the goal all season.”
It’s the first Division I regular season title since 2015 and eighth overall for Woodstock Academy.
“That’s really special,” Woodstock Academy junior Rachel Holden said. “I don’t think we’ve ever beaten Stonington (the Centaurs had not prior to the 4-3 victory on May 8). The last time someone beat them was a long time ago and it just feels great.”
The last ECC teams to beat Stonington were E. Lyme and Waterford in 2014.
Rathbone realized the Centaurs may be in for a long day when Stonington’s No. 2 singles player, Ainsle Johnston, suited up for her match.
“She was pretty heavily taped but she is a good little player. She hits a lot of slice which kind of threw (Morgan Bassett) off. She changed the lineup and I told my girls, ‘We just have to take care of what we do.’ That’s what we concentrated on,” Rathbone said.
Bassett suffered a 4-6, 3-6 loss to Johnstone while Maddie Hamm handed the Centaurs’ top singles player, Ruggeri, a 2-6, 1-6 loss.
Hannah Darigan also suffered a 4-6, 1-6 defeat before Holden pulled out the lone singles victory, a 6-3, 6-3 decision over Holly Foster.
“It was really hard,” Holden said. “(Foster) hit everything back. I just had to push through. I just kept hitting it to her backhand and getting it deep to her and she had trouble with that.”
Woodstock Academy guaranteed itself the share of the Division I title earlier in the week when it prevailed over East Lyme.
The Centaurs, actually, had to play two matches May 14.
But it was the first one that they were most concerned about.
The Centaurs survived a 2 1/2 hour battle with the Vikings and posted a 5-2 victory.
The Centaurs split the singles matches with the Vikings with Ruggeri winning at No. 1 singles and Darigan at No. 3.
“It was close and (East Lyme) is really good. That was a huge win,” Rathbone said. “It was nip-and-tuck all the way and it wasn’t looking good at times.”
Ruggeri started things right for Woodstock Academy with a 6-2, 6-1 victory.
“Every time out there, (Rathbone), says ‘Mari, everyone is looking at you, you have to have high energy and set the pace,’” Ruggeri said.
She did and so did Darigan at third singles.
The sophomore downed Shauna Kim, 7-6, 6-2.
“It was probably one of her best matches of the year. She played a really good opponent and played very well,” Rathbone said.
Darigan “tweaked” her knee, according to Rathbone, during the match but was able to continue on.
Woodstock Academy then swept the doubles with the effort of second doubles Emma Durand and Rachel Lambert standing out.
The duo lost the first set, 4-6, but rebounded to win the next two, 7-5, 7-5.
“That was the key match and it was crazy,” Rathbone said.
Following the win over East Lyme, the Centaurs had to travel down the road to Waterford and saw their three-match win streak come to an end at the hand of the Lancers, 4-3.
Due to the injury suffered by Darigan and a tough match played by Holden, the two sat the nightcap.
Adeline Smith and Jackie Trudeau filled in at singles with Smith winning.
Ruggeri also posted a second win on the day while Gabby Garbutt and Emma Hovestadt were winners at third doubles.
It was a case of no rest for the weary.
The Centaurs had to play three matches in two days.
It has not been an easy schedule due to the weather problems the area has experienced, but the Centaurs girls’ tennis team didn’t appear to be worse for the wear.
Woodstock Academy downed Killingly, 6-1, May 15.
The Centaurs kept the top of their lineup consistent with Ruggeri and Bassett both getting straight victories.
Smith calmly stepped back into the singles ranks and remained undefeated with a 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 3 singles.
Lambert also had to step into the singles ranks and found the transition a bit difficult with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-7 loss at fourth singles.
The Centaurs went home with the victory when they swept the doubles competition.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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