After an 0-5 start for a team that lost seven of its 10 starters from 2010, the Greyhounds finished their conference season with an 11-2 record. Despite an opening-round loss to Farmington in the state tournament last week, Naugy found its stride down the stretch.

Head coach Jose Sendra, in his first season, attributed the strong completion of the regular season to positive thinking, leadership and playing time.

The team rebounded to beat several teams it lost to early in the season, including Torrington, Woodland and Kennedy.

“They didn’t have a lot of experience playing,” Sendra said. “But, when they got that experience, it made a difference.”

Success started at the top. Junior Miranda Jang, the team’s No.1 seed, faced off against the best the competition had to offer every time she hit the court and finished better than .500 on the year.

Jang played most of last season at the No. 3 position, and had to adjust to facing the NVL’s elite players. She finished the conference season with a second round loss in the NVL tournament and just missed qualifying for the state open.

“Miranda in her position had a lot of responsibility and pressure,” Sendra said.

Three other juniors progressed throughout the season for Naugy.

Kaitlin Carter, Katie Bottinick and Andrea Jiminez performed as seeds two through four.

Sendra said all three players won key matches throughout the year. He singled out Bottinick, who struggled early in the season but finished strong.

On the doubles side, the junior tandem of Alexa Ramos and Jess Buckley almost qualified for the state open following a second-round defeat in the NVLs. As Naugatuck’s top doubles team, Ramos and Buckley were key for the Greyhounds throughout the season.

“They were consistent all year and worked well together,” Sendra said of Ramos and Buckley.

Naugatuck’s No.2 doubles team of senior Megan Wilson and junior Lani Chucta also played well, as did the No. 3 doubles team of seniors Kristen Cuzzi and Abigail Janneke.

“Kristen and Abigail won a lot of matches for us,” Sendra said. “Abigail was on crutches last season, and came back this year to play a sport and was good at it.”

Off the court, the team had several leaders—including its seniors. Leadership was a quality that became infectious for the Greyhounds as the season progressed.

“As the season went on, everyone became their own leaders in their matches,” Sendra said. “We played smart by keeping the ball in play and letting our opponents make mistakes.”

The Greyhounds return a majority of their team next season. But, the Greyhounds will savor 2011 for now.

“We had a great bunch of girls who stayed positive all season,” Sendra said.

Woodland senior Meg Webster reached the semi-finals of the NVL singles tournament. FILE PHOTO

Meg Wester, the Hawks’ top seed, reached the semi-finals of the NVL singles tournament, while the double combination of Angela Vallillo and Avery Gartman advanced the conference championship match.

As a team, the Hawks finished NVL play at 9-8 overall and lost in the first round of the Class S state tournament to Litchfield. Liz Martin won a singles match, while Brooke Dragon and Eileen Hurley won in doubles against Litchfield in a 5-2 loss.

Head coach Mike Magas said the team performed well considering it lost three top players last season and played the entire season with the label of defending league champs.

Wester made a run for an NVL crown, and had a successful season against the league’s best players. In addition, Wester had a penchant for coming from behind.

“She had a great ability to fight back when she was down,” Magas said. “Megan had that inner-drive to turn the game around.”

Wester’s most notable wins came against Angela Pecci of Holy Cross, the eventual winner of the NVL singles tournament, and
Miranda Jang, Naugy’s top seed, who led by four games in the match. Wester, the only Woodland player to qualify for the state open, came back to win 9-7.

Lauren Tremaglio, the team’s No.2 seed, almost qualified for the states. Magas commended Tregmaglio on her day-to-day contributions throughout the season.

“She was like our anchor out there,” Magas said of Tremaglio.

Magas was also impressed with Julia Lawton, a freshman, who has all the makings of a future impact player.

“Julia was phenomenal,” Magas said. “She won more matches than she lost, and she was able to pull out matches that helped us win as a team. She’s a star in the making.”

Martin was a duel threat for the Hawks, playing singles and doubles.

“Liz is an athlete and is still learning the game,” Magas said. “She won some big matches and contributed to the well-being of the team.”

On the doubles side, Vallillo and Gartman lost in the finals of the NVL tournament, and it was the second year the duo had advanced to at least the semis.

“They are like Miss Octobers,” Magas said. “They were fairly consistent all year, but they really stepped up their game late in the season.”

Dragon and Hurley teamed up after the season started and finished the season with a 10-5 record.

“The decision to put them together paid off,” Magas said.

Rachel Mariano played with Martin late in the season. Mariano, a freshman, and Lawton have lots of upside.

“They have tremendous futures in front of them,” Magas said.

In the opening round, Jimmy Tompkins defeated Suffield’s Greg Cristina, 6-0, 6-2, while Matt Murphy beat Bull Havens Tech’s George Costa, 6-2, 6-3.

Tompkins later lost in the first round to No. 4 Bradley Orban of Foran, 6-0, 6-0. Murphy also fell in the first round to No. 11 Trevor Robinson of Lewis Mills, 6-4, 6-1.

Also in the first round, Stephen Pec lost to Waterford’s Alan Luner, 6-3, 6-2, while Naugatuck Valley League champion Mike Krakowski lost to Avon’s Michael VanDusen, 6-1, 6-0.

Krakowski was somewhat disappointed by his straight-set loss in the first round.

“Of course, I wanted to go farther, but I was up against a very talented Avon player,” Krakowski said. “I don’t think I played my best at states or was mentally set on the match in front of me.”

The Hawks met more success in the doubles tournament, where two teams advanced to the second round.

NVL runners-up Kyle Beynor and Pat Dietz beat Waterford’s Matthew Getty and Tucker Murphy, 7-5, 4-6, 10-4, to earn a spot in the second round. Beynor and Dietz lost to top-ranked Daniel Banker and Devin White of Stonington, 6-1, 6-1.

Also making the second round was the team of Mike Castro and Mike Ventimiglia, who earned a 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 over Berlin’s Etan Cope and Jaydip Patel in the first round. Castro and Ventimiglia fell to No. 11 Logan Gregoire-Wright and Connor Hoge of Guilford, 6-2, 7-5, in the second round.

Nick Boccuzzi and Mike Patsiarikas also qualified for the tournament but lost to Lewis Mills’ Zachary Marcoux and Cal Simko, 6-1, 6-0, in the first round.

Woodland finished the season a perfect 19-0, winning the NVL title for the first time in program history. Although the undefeated record was unexpected, Krakowski knew it was going to be a special year.

“We did not expect to go undefeated, but I would not say that we didn’t see it as realistic,” Krakowski said. “I knew we would have a lot of returning players who had been practicing year-round and I’m glad everyone’s hard work paid off.”

Krakowski became the first player in school history to win the NVL singles championship when he beat Torrington’s Steve Consolini and Crosby’s Pat Vincente in straight sets two weeks ago.

“It was my ultimate goal for the season,” Krakowski said of winning the league title. “I had come such a long way since starting sophomore year and winning the NVL title felt like the final chapter to my Woodland tennis career.”

Krakowski is one of two graduating seniors on the team as the Hawks will return their Nos. 2-6 singles players as well as most of their doubles teams. Krakowski thinks the future looks very bright for the team in the next few years.

“I believe the best of Woodland tennis is yet to come,” Krakowski said. “With the return of most starters, I see possibilities of more NVL championships and gold medals. The one thing I hope my team takes from me is that you must never expect anything. You must earn the right to play on that court day in and day out.”

Woodland’s Mike Krakowski took home the Hawk’s first-ever NVL gold metal for boys tennis last Friday. FILE PHOTO

Krakowski, seeded second, defeated No. 3 Steve Consolini of Torrington, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals before dismissing top-ranked Pat Vincente of Crosby, 6-0, 6-3, to capture Woodland’s first-ever gold medal in boys tennis.

“It’s not really there yet,” said Krakowski, as his championship was still sinking in. “I’m still getting over the hot flashes and dizziness. But I’m proud. I know the goals I set over the years. I got here last year, and now I won it.”

Players had to battle through the hottest weather of the season as temperatures soared through the mid-80s.

“Everyone definitely had to push and dig down for every ounce of power they had,” Krakowski said of the heat’s effect on play. “I thought my first match was worse than my second one because the sun was beating down and it was boiling.”

Krakowski broke Consolini’s serve in the last game of both sets to earn a spot in the final. Krakowski had time to watch the third set of Vincente’s semifinal match against Kennedy’s Enea Dervishi, which Vincente won, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0.

The Woodland senior breezed through the first set as he broke Vincente’s first four service games. Krakowski earned the decisive break at 3-2 in the second to take a 4-2 lead.

Krakowski held his serve twice more and on the final rally utilized a passing shot behind Vincente to clinch the gold medal.

“I definitely analyze each player before,” Krakowski said. “I looked at Pat and saw his weaknesses. I keep saying to myself while I’m playing, ‘Go for that shot, go for that shot.’ Today, it worked.”

Woodland coach Jim Amato saw Krakowski’s championship as the culmination of his work over the years.

“Mike is the only three-year player on the team,” Amato said. “He and I both started at the same time. I know we both wanted success for the program. It’s rewarding to see that he was able to translate his team goal into his personal goal and manifest that into a gold medal.”

Wolcott’s Jon Ramirez and Sean Tansley, seeded first in the tournament, easily captured the league doubles championship as they beat Naugatuck’s Riker and Richard Mitchell, 6-0, 6-1, before dispatching Woodland’s Pat Dietz and Kyle Beynor, 6-2, 6-2.

Dietz and Beynor, a pair of sophomores, helped the Hawks win the medal count with their silvers. Amato said the duo continued to play beyond their years throughout the tournament.

“They are sophomores, but they were also the No. 2 seed and I think that’s important to note,” Amato said. “It’s not how old you are, it’s the level you’re willing to play at.”

Amato attributed part of his players’ success to the team’s commitment to conditioning.

“Thank God for the hill,” Amato said, referring to the steep hill next to Woodland’s tennis courts used for conditioning. “This year I think we made sure we conditioned. We didn’t expect it to be as hot as it was, but I think it helped down the stretch to make sure we stayed in every point until the last.”

Each of the players competing in the semifinals earned All-NVL honors. In the consolation matches, Dervishi defeated Consolini, 8-4, to earn the singles bronze while the Mitchell brothers beat Watertown’s Connor Fenn and Kevin Lvovich, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (2-7), 10-8, to win the doubles bronze.

Woodland qualified for the Class M state tournament, which was scheduled to begin Thursday at Hamden High.

Woodland, the defending league champion, squeaked past Watertown, 4-3, while Naugatuck fell to Wolcott, 6-1, in Tuesday’s team tournament quarterfinals.

The Hawks seemed to right the ship quickly in Watertown after losing their final five matches of the regular season but had to rally in the later matches to overcome a strong Indians squad.

Woodland’s top three singles players—Megan Wester, Lauren Tremaglio, and Liz Martin—all lost to put the pressure on No. 4 Julia Lawton and the doubles teams.

Wester lost to Kelly Lewis, 8-6, while Tremaglio fell to Gabby Rinaldi, 8-2, and Martin was defeated by Alyssa Mucciaro, 8-6.
But Lawton salvaged an important win at No. 4 singles by beating Lindsey Parenteau, 8-4, to keep the Hawks in the match.
Woodland fairly easily swept the doubles matches to complete the comeback and move on to the semifinals.

No. 1 Angela Vallillo-Avery Gartman beat Megan LaPorta-Emily Smith, 8-2, while No. 2 Brooke Dragon-Eileen Hurley defeated Kelly Marcal-Miranda Squillace, 8-0. No. 3 Amanda Olivera-Rachel Mariano clinched the victory by beating Taylor Bugryn-Elizabeth Mendes, 8-5.

In Wolcott, Naugatuck couldn’t keep up with the Eagles, earning just one victory on the day.

No. 2 Kaitlin Carter beat Christina Santos, 8-6, to earn the lone victory for the ‘Hounds. No. 1 Miranda Jang fell to Jessica McHugh, 8-2, while No. 3 Katie Bottinick lost to Mackenzie Miller, 8-6, and No. 4 Andrea Jiminez was defeated by Natalie Pagano, 8-6.

The doubles matches were also swept by Wolcott. No. 1 Alexa Ramos-Jess Buckley fell to Pam McWaid-Tayler Mazurski, 8-4, while No. 2 Lani Chucta-Megan Wilson lost to Cara Nelson-Alaysia Trotman, 8-1, and No. 3 Abigail Janneke-Kristen Cuzzi fell to India Trotman-Alexa Harrison, 8-2.

Woodland was set to continue its attempt to defend the NVL championship on Wednesday afternoon, after press time, against Wolcott in the semifinals in Beacon Falls. The winner was scheduled to face either St. Paul or Seymour in the finals on Wednesday afternoon.

Naugatuck will compete in the Class L team state tournament while Woodland will compete in the Class S team state tournament. Both tourneys start Tuesday.

The influence of Woodland’s Mike Krakowski, the lone senior for the Hawks on the court, has helped to lead the team to perfection thus far. FILE PHOTO

The Woodland boys tennis team kept its perfect record alive last week with some of its toughest tests of the season, including a pair of 5-4 wins against Torrington and Sacred Heart before walking over Wolcott and Watertown, 7-2, on Friday and Monday.

Mike Krakowski, the team’s lone senior and top singles player, has been the driving force for the Hawks so far and helped Woodland (15-0) gain two more important victories over the Eagles and Indians.

Krakowski beat Wolcott ace Jon Ramirez, 8-4, on Friday before dismissing Watertown No. 1 Connor Fenn, 8-3. Krakowski also contributed a doubles point at Wolcott as he teamed with Matt Murphy to take down Ramirez and Mario Zizolli, 8-1.

The Hawks’ 7-2 wins over Wolcott and Watertown look easier than their 5-4 victories over Torrington and Sacred Heart last week, but Krakowski didn’t think his team was in as much jeopardy as the one-point wins would suggest.

“Torrington always has a good team,” Krakowski said. “All of their players play great tennis, so we knew they would be a tough opponent. I feel there were some matches that we should have won that day, but you win some and you lose some. I’m just glad we came out on top.”

“When we played Sacred Heart, we had earned the win with five singles victories,” Krakowski continued. “This allowed our coach [Jim Amato] to put less experienced players into the doubles matches. We did not win any doubles matches, but it provided these young players with essential experience that will help in future matches and seasons.”

Krakowski has been joined in singles action by Murphy, Pat Dietz, Kyle Beynor, Stephen Pec, and Jimmy Tompkins. All of the singles players have met considerable success throughout the season and they swept their matches against Watertown on Monday.

The doubles matches have been spots for improvement for Woodland as Amato is often able to plug in players who need match experience because those points don’t affect the total match outcome due to singles dominance.

Players including Nick Boccuzzi, Mike Patsiarikas, Mike Ventimiglia, Chris Zmuda, Mike Costa, and Nick Rioux have all contributed wins in doubles matches.

Krakowski is most pleased with the completeness of the team’s roster from top to bottom and attributes that depth to preseason work and training.

“I feel that the training that we had done in the beginning of the season gave us the advantage this year,” Krakowski said. “Also, our team has a lot of depth, so if one person is unable to compete there is someone who can step up and get the win.”

Woodland was set to close this week against Crosby on Wednesday and Wolcott on Thursday before hosting two matches against Sacred Heart on Monday and Holy Cross on Wednesday to close out the regular season.

The Hawks will look to sew up their first-ever Naugatuck Valley League Brass Division championship with a win over the Eagles on Thursday and will be striving for even more during this month’s NVL tournament.

Krakowski said while the championships and undefeated record are goals that the team would like to meet, the Hawks aren’t looking ahead.

“Our team motto is, ‘expect nothing, earn everything,’” Krakowski said. “So, I won’t say that this goal [of going undefeated] is not in the back our minds, but our team takes it one match at a time. We must not forget the present, because the work put forth now will allow us to reach our goals.”

Kyle Brennan

Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to me! (Sunday)

Tony’s Takes

Tony’s bringing the noise this week with some of his strongest takes in quite some time. When the weather heats up, so does Ant.

1.      The Memphis Grizzlies are doing work—without their best player, former UConn Husky Rudy Gay.

2.      I’m looking forward to beach volleyball and wiffleball now that nice weather is hopefully here to stay.

3.      Twilight Zone moment: How weird is it that Osama bin Laden was announced dead to Americans while the Phillies and Mets were playing in the ninth inning of Sunday Night Baseball, when the planes on Sept. 11^th crashed in New York and Pennsylvania…

Lips to CN’s Ear

“Before the game Matt [Zahornasky] talked to the guys about putting the Derby game behind them. Arber [Mehmedi] did a good job calling the game as he and Matt really had it going. Matt gives us an adequate chance to win the game when he is on the hill. We can beat anyone when we play our ‘A’ game and we proved that on Monday in Torrington.”

Tom Deller

Naugatuck baseball coach after the Greyhounds beat Torrington, 4-3, on Monday at Fuessenich Park to hand the Red Raiders their first defeat of the season following the ‘Hounds 14-0 shutout loss to Derby on Saturday. Naugy scored all of its runs in a four-run fifth inning, thanks to a pair of Torrington errors and key hits by Mehmedi and Kyle Lopes. The ‘Hounds are 8-4 and are fighting to be in the top four seeds in this month’s Naugatuck Valley League tournament.

Word from the Woods

Softball

The Woodland softball team struggled through its toughest week of the season thus far, losing two of three to drop to 10-3 on the season. Last Wednesday, The Hawks were shut out by Holy Cross, 9-0. Woodland had just three hits in the game, one of which was a double by Emily Wirsing. The Hawks rebounded on Friday to smoke Kennedy, 15-2. Rebecca Norton had three hits with two RBI and two runs while Brianna Pacileo had three hits and two runs. Kelly Sherman and Lindsay Boland each contributed RBI doubles. On Monday, Woodland suffered its most lopsided loss of the season in a 13-1 loss to Ansonia. Brooke Leshin homered to score the Hawks’ lone run. Woodland will look to get back on track this week as it was set to host Sacred Heart on Wednesday before traveling to St. Paul on Friday and hosting Watertown on Monday.

Boys Tennis

Jim Amato’s Hawks are still undefeated after another perfect week, beating Kennedy, Crosby, and Torrington to improve to 12-0. Woodland beat Kennedy, 7-2, last Friday before crushing Crosby, 8-1, on Monday. The Hawks’ closest match of the season came on Tuesday at Torrington, where Woodland came away with a 5-4 victory. Crucial to the Hawks’ victories during the week were mid-range singles players Matt Murphy, Kyle Beynor, Steve Pec, and Jimmy Tompkins, who all won three matches. Pat Dietz and Nick Boccuzzi also contributed singles victories. Chris Zmuda and Nick Rioux teamed up to win a pair of doubles matches, while Mike Patsiarikas and Mike Ventimiglia both paired up with different opponents to win two doubles matches each. The Hawks were set to visit Sacred Heart on Wednesday before hosting Wolcott on Friday and visiting Watertown on Monday.

Girls Tennis

The Hawks rebounded from two straight 4-3 losses late last month by reeling off a three-match Naugatuck Valley League winning streak. After squeaking past Wolcott last Tuesday, The Hawks shut out Kennedy on Friday and Ansonia on Monday. Top singles players Megan Wester, Lauren Tremaglio, and Julia Lawton each won two matches while Nicole Nelson and Liz Martin won a match apiece. The top doubles teams of Angela Vallillo-Avery Gartman and Brooke Dragon-Eileen Hurley each won a pair of matches while Dayna Chucta-Rachel Mariano and Martin-Amanda Olivera both teamed to win a match. The Hawks were shut out in a nonconference match against Joel Barlow on Tuesday. Woodland is 8-4 overall and was set to host Sacred Heart on Wednesday before traveling to St. Paul on Friday and hosting Watertown on Monday.

Naugy Notes

Tennis

The only reported score of the week for the Naugatuck boys tennis team was a 7-2 loss at Torrington on Monday. No. 1 singles player Richard Mitchell earned an 8-5 victory while the No. 2 doubles team of David Justice and Marco Velasco took a 6-4 win. The loss dropped the Greyhounds to 4-7 on the season. Naugatuck will host Crosby on Thursday before traveling to Sacred Heart on Monday. The Naugatuck girls tennis team did not report any scores, but were scheduled this week to play at St. Paul on Wednesday and at Crosby on Thursday before hosting Sacred Heart on Monday.

Track and Field

Last week, the Naugatuck girls swept a tri-meet against Woodland and Crosby. The ‘Hounds beat the Hawks, 79-71, and crushed Crosby, 135-13. Event winners for the Greyhounds included the 4-by-800 and 4-by-100 relay teams, Jordyn Allen in the 800, 1,600, and 3,200 meters, Shannon Hale in the 300 hurdles and the high jump, Becky Renzoni in the pole vault, and Brianna Ritter in the shot put and discus. The meet improved Naugatuck to 5-3 on the season. The results from Tuesday’s scheduled boys and girls scheduled meet against Sacred Heart and Kennedy in Naugatuck were not reported. The ‘Hounds will meet Torrington in a dual meet Tuesday before facing Kennedy and Wilby on Tuesday.

The ‘Hounds and Hawks split four singles matches, while Naugy took two of three in doubles action.

Woodland bounced back with a much-needed 4-3 win on Tuesday against Wolcott.

Naugy coach Jose Sendra praised his team on Monday for learning how to fight through adversity and limiting its miscues.

“It’s about keeping the ball in play,” said Sendra, whose team improved to 4-5. “It’s simple. Keep the ball in play and not making mistakes.”

In perhaps the turning point of the day, Naugatuck’s Lani Chucta and Megan Wilson held off a comeback from Brooke Dragon and Eileen Hurley. With the match tied at seven, the Greyhounds’ duo took the last two points of the second-seed doubles match.

“That match could have gone either way,” Sendra said. “We happened to be on the lucky side today.”

In the No. 1 doubles match, Naugatuck’s Alexa Ramos and Jessica Buckley squared off against Angela Vallillo and Avery Gartman in another tight match. Ramos and Buckley held on for an 8-6 win.

In the three-seed doubles position, Woodland’s Rachel Mariano and Amanda Oliveira defeated Hannah Kim and Martina Neibrzydowski. The final score was 8-5.

The Hawks had more success in singles. No. 1 seed Megan Wester scored a victory for Woodland with a 9-7 win over Miranda Jang.
Julia Lawton had the third win of the day for the Hawks with a 9-7 victory over Andrea Jimenez in the No. 4 seed competition.

The Greyhounds were able to count on their No. 2 and No. 3 seeds—Kaitlin Carter and Katie Bottinick, respectively. Both won their matches on Monday.

Sendra said Carter and Bottinick have progressed well this season and the results are beginning to show. Carter won her match over Lauren Tremaglio, 8-6, and Bottinick beat Nicole Nelson by an 8-4 margin.

“Carter has shown a nice stroke, and Bottinick has won three matches in a row,” Sendra said.

After losing its first five matches, Naugy has found a rhythm on the court. Naugatuck was set for an early-season payback match on Wednesday against Kennedy—a team Naugy lost to, 4-3, on April 9—before hosting Torrington on Monday.

As the team approaches the midway point of the season, Sendra said he likes what he sees.

“I’m very happy for the team,” Sendra said. “We’re building some momentum, the players are learning and they’re gaining confidence.”

The Hawks, the defending Naugatuck Valley League champs, defeated Wolcott, 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon and earned praise from their coach.

“I was much more pleased with the performance than the victory,” said Woodland coach Mike Magas.

The Hawks received several key comeback wins against the Eagles, who fell to 5-3 as a team.

Wester scored five straight points to overcome a 7-4 deficit to beat Jess McHugh. Lawton trailed, 3-0, but fought back to beat Natalie Pagano, 8-5, on Tuesday.

Magas said Tremaglio “played her best match in two years” in an 8-4 victory over Christina Santos. In doubles, Dragon and Hurley defeated Alaysia Trotman and Cara Nelson.

As the reigning league champs, Magas said his team is adjusting to getting every team’s best effort.

“We’re the defending champs and everyone wants to beat us now,” Magas said.