Tennis

NAUGATUCK — It was Sunday night, less than 24 hours before senior day, and Greyhounds girls’ tennis coach Jodie Ruccio had a dilemma on her racket. “I was saying, ‘What do I do for senior night for tennis?’ the first-year skipper, better known as a hoops coach, said during Tuesday’s home match against Wilby, which Naugatuck won, 7-0. “You know, for basketball, it’s you get on the PA, you say something before the game, you do the flowers and the basketballs and all that sort of stuff. So I called a couple of the girls, and they’re great. They took care of everything. We have a very strong sophomore class. So the sophomores did a bunch of things, we got some flowers, the parents are here. It’s nice.”

NAUGATUCK — It’s no surprise that halfway through the season, a local girls’ tennis team is undefeated. That the team hails from the borough, not the Woods, however, is a stunner. The Greyhounds are led by a coach, Jodie Ruccio, who had never played tennis—never mind taught it—until March. Their roster is such a hodgepodge of first-time players and athletes borrowed from other sports that 14 different girls have played in at least one match.

BEACON FALLS — Woodland used a sweep of the doubles matches to break a singles stalemate and stay undefeated with a 5-2 win over visiting Watertown Monday afternoon. No. 1 singles player Stephanie Badale continued her domination of all Naugatuck Valley League opponents not named Dre Moschello, with an 8-0 victory over Alyssa Mucciaro. Since the beginning of last season, Badale is 26-1 against everyone but Holy Cross’ Moschello, but 1-3 versus the two-time defending league champion.

WATERTOWN — The Hawks got a grit-your-teeth win from Mike Krakowski at No. 1 singles, but it was the team’s lone victory Monday morning in an 8-1 loss to Watertown at Crestbrook Park. The right-handed Krakowski was playing with ruptured blood vessels in his dominant hand, a nagging affliction that has caused head coach Jim Amato to hold back his ace between matches.

All three Naugatuck doubles teams won their matches, but it wasn't enough to overcome Crosby's sweep of the singles matches, as the Bulldogs won in the borough Wednesday, 6-3.

Rookie tennis coach Jodie Ruccio earns her first career victory, as her Greyhounds beat visiting Torrington, 5-2, to start the season.

Defending NVL silver- and bronze-medalists Stephanie Badale and Megan Wester cruise past their first-match opponents, helping the Hawks beat the Chargers, 5-2, in the Woods.

NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck boys’ tennis team has a new look. First, there are new faces guiding the team. The Greyhounds will operate with co-head coaches...