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caption, page 8:
The girls’ tennis team will be led by its five seniors. From left: Margaux Reck, Emma Massey, Ellie Bishop-Klee and Maeve Lusignan. Peyton Bentley was not available for the photo. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
Girls’ Tennis Preview
New coach,
high hopes for
girls’ tennis
Some things have changed.
But a lot has remained the same.
That’s good news for the girls’ tennis team at Woodstock Academy.
“I’m really happy with the team right now,” said senior No. 1 player and captain, Ellie Bishop-Klee.
Her fellow captain and classmate, Emma Massey, agreed.
“We have a really good connection with everyone on the team. Our team dynamic is really good. We do a lot of things outside tennis, lots of team bonding,” Massey said.
In addition to Bishop-Klee and Massey, who will play either third or fourth singles, second singles Wynter Worth, a sophomore, is also back. Another of the tri-captains, senior Peyton Bentley, will also be either third or fourth singles.
The top doubles duo will be returning sophomores Gianna Musumeci and Kerrigan Reynolds.
All of them, along with senior Maeve Lusignan and sophomore Kate McArthur return.
All of those from a team that finished 8-6 overall last season and won the ECC Div. II title for a third consecutive year with a 6-0 mark before losing in a first-round state tournament match.
“I think the goal is still the same. I would like to do a little better against (ECC) Div. I teams, though, because we did get crushed,” Bishop-Klee said. “I think we have a lot of potential and I’m really excited for the season.”
The Centaurs lost only two players from that squad, Stella Atchinson and Paige Owens.
Oh, and their coach, Keith Atchinson.
Which brings us to the newcomers.
Starting with coach Heather Roto.
She was a member of the Tolland Eagles girls’ tennis team in high school and returned to coach at her alma mater for two years.
She moved to the Northeast when she married recently, got a job as a math teacher at Woodstock Academy and when Keith Atchinson left, tossed her name into the ring.
“They are a great group of girls,” Roto said. “They already have great chemistry, too, so I just had to get into the swing of things that they were already doing.”
Roto admits with a new marriage, a new job and now, a new head coaching job, it can be overwhelming at times.
“I’m just trying to get by, trying to survive, that’s my goal right now but I think we’re going to have a really good season,” the new head coach said.
“It’s going really well. She’s really nice and has been a great leader so far. I knew it would be hard for her because she hasn’t seen us or the new kids play, but she is doing really well so far,” Massey said.
Two of the new kids on the block will be in the starting lineup as senior Margaux Reck and freshman Catherine Trudeau will partner up at second doubles. McArthur and another newcomer, Delilah Kesselman, will play third doubles.
Roto admitted she didn’t have to do much with the singles lineup as it was pretty much pre-ordained when she walked in the door. The second doubles team just moved up to first and then she had to create the last two pairings.
She had plenty of athletes to choose from, having to make some cuts from the 25 who showed up to get to the 16 on the squad.
There are two things that Roto will have to adjust to.
Coming from Tolland, a Central Connecticut Conference member, she has no idea about the competition she will face in the ECC.
“None at all, I’ve never played any of these teams,” Roto said. “I’m asking the girls and looking at previous scores, things like that. Luckily, they know most of the other girls they have played from the other schools.”
And then, the fact that Woodstock does not have its own tennis courts as yet.
The Centaurs play at Pomfret School and must schedule practices and matches around the Griffins.
“Playing at Pomfret rather than our own courts is an adjustment for me coaching here rather than Tolland. At Tolland, the courts were next door. Here, it’s we’re practicing at this time or that time and all of our home matches are either on Saturday or later in the evening,” Roto said.
They play Norwich Free Academy at 9 a.m. on Saturday versus Killingly at the Pomfret School indoor courts.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
.