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caption, page 8:
Top Three Players
Woodstock Academy seniors, from left: Addy Smith, Jackie Trudeau and Sydney Schuler return as the top three singles players for the Centaurs this season. Photo by Marc Allard.
Centaurs girls’
tennis returns
top 7 players
The numbers that Woodstock Academy girls’ tennis coach Keith Atchinson gets to speak about this season can certainly produce some confidence.
Of the 13 players on the varsity team, seven are seniors and those numbers also include the top seven players from last season’s team.
“We’re so excited. It’s going to be a great season with a lot of returning faces and a lot of new players, too,” said returning No. 1 player, Addy Smith.
What that means is a lot of depth for the Centaurs.
“We’re working on improvement over last year,” Atchinson said. “The division was divided differently and we had a weaker division which gave us a nice record. We have to work on competing as (the ECC) has come back to the original alignment and we’re going after the Div. II crown.”
Woodstock posted a 9-3 overall record last season and won the Div. II league title with an 8-0 mark against the likes of Killingly, Montville, Lyman and St. Bernard.
This year, the Centaurs will be matched up with Killingly (6-6 last year) again but will also have to battle NFA (8-5), Ledyard (3-10) and New London (0-13).
The Centaurs will have to play a pair of non-divisional matches with Stonington as well as one each with E. Lyme and Fitch.
Smith, a senior, returns as the No. 1 player. More of a tactical player than a player who relies on power, Smith is hoping to make the individual State Open tournament this season.
Jackie Trudeau and Sydney Schuler both return to fill the second and third singles slots which they occupied last season. Seniors Logan Reynolds and Alexa Fernandez will flip between the fourth singles and doubles play.
Senior Morgan Bentley, juniors Stella Atchinson and Paige Owens and sophomores Ellie Bishop-Klee, Emma Massey, Peyton Bentley and Alecia Qu will all be playing doubles.
“We have a lot of good players; it’s up to me to figure out how to put them all together. There is a lot of chemistry and styles of play that is involved. That’s why I get paid the big bucks for,” Keith Atchinson said with a laugh.
But with everyone back, the chemistry is likely not to be much of a problem.
Like the boys’ tennis team, the girls will not have a true home court this season as the courts at the Bentley Athletic Complex in Woodstock have been deemed unplayable.
Practices are taking place at the Pomfret School; indoors for now, possibly outside later. Matches will be played at Killingly High School.
Girls’ Tennis Schedule: Tues., April 5: at St. Bernard, 4; Sat., April 9: vs. Stonington (at Killingly), 11:30; Wed., April 13: at Killingly, 3:45; Mon., April 18: at Lyman; 4; Sat., April 23: vs. Ledyard (at Killingly), 9; Wed., April 27: at NFA; 3:45; Thurs., Apr. 28, at Fitch, 4:15; Mon., May 2: at Killingly, 3:45; Wed., May 4: at New London, 4:15; Fri., May 6: at Stonington, 4:15; Sat., May 7: vs. New London (at Killingly), 11; Mon., May 9: at Ledyard, 4:15; Fri., May 13: at E. Lyme; 3:45; Sat., May 14: at Stowe HS, 1; Sun., May 15 at Champlain Valley Union, noon; Wed., May 18: at Windham/Windham Tech, 4; Sat., May 21: vs. NFA (at Pomfret School), 10.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
.