The Naples 55 & Over 6.0 first place women’s team, left to right: Roanna Handy (captain), Mary Carol Lucas-Hertzfeld, Susan Griffith, Nancy O’Keefe, Catherine Booth, Dawn Cyr, Barbara Sue Kennedy (co-captain)
Two Florida USTA League teams finished with championships, and one team as runner-up this past weekend when USTA League National Championships were held in Indian Wells, Calif., and Surprise, Ariz.
The USTA Florida League Sectionals-winning team out of Pelican Bay in Naples won the USTA League Adult 55 & Over 6.0 National Championships in Surprise, Ariz., rolling over the team from the USTA Pacific Northwest team (Seattle, Wash.) 3-0 in the final.
Earlier in the day the Naples team defeated the team from La Quinta, Calif., 2-1 in the semifinals. They advanced to the semifinals by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.
The result was a continuation of their sectional final match where they also blanked a team, Hillsborough County (Davis Island, Tampa) 3-0. Their regular-season roster was Roanna Handy (captain), MaryEllen Brown, Catherine Booth, Barbara Kennedy, Sherida Jett, Dawn Cyr, Mary Lucas-Hertzfeld, Nancy O’Keefe, Susan Griffith, and Betty Washecka.
The Tampa 40 & Over 4.5+ first place women’s team, left to right: Elizabeth Street, Tami Florin, Lisa Balsera, Lisa Haidermota, Allegra Campos, Margaret Roset, Sharon Benson, Chris Bartos (captain), Kim Cashman-King, Brenda Sturm, Iris Kraft
Over in Indian Wells the Florida 40 & 0ver 4.5+ women from Tampa were also locking up a championship, edging the USTA Hawaii Section (Honolulu) 3-2 in the final of the USTA League Adult 40 & Over 4.5+ National Championships.
Earlier in the day the Tampa team defeated a team from Jackson, Miss., 3-2 in the semifinals. They advanced to the semifinals by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.
The squad had earned their USTA Florida League Sectionals title and advanced to nationals by the slimmest of margins, defeating an Orange/Seminole counties team (Sanlando Park, Altamonte Springs) 3-2 in a final decided by three third-set super-tiebreaks. The Tampa team, which played their home matches out of the Harbour Island Athletic Club, had a regular-season roster comprised of Chris Bartos (captain), Sharon Benson, Allegra Campos, Margaret Roset, Brenda Sturm, Iris Kraft, Kim Cashman-King, Elizabeth Street, Lisa Balsera, Lisa Haidermota, Stephanie Means, and Tami Florin.
The Valrico 55 & Over 8.0 runner-up men’s team, left to right: Barry Shollenberger, Randy Chapman, James Whitaker, Marshall Veatch (co-captain), Richard Scott, Jay Bortner (captain), Richard Assing, Gene Pike, Henry Marshall, Jack Vandercook
Also in Arizona the Valrico men’s 55 & Over team fought their way to the final before coming up short 2-1 against the USTA Southern team (Marietta, Ga.), taking runner-up honors at the USTA League Adult 55 & Over 8.0 National Championships.
Earlier in the day the Valrico team defeated a team from Topeka, Kan., 3-0 in the semifinals. They advanced to the semifinals by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.
The team, which played their regular season out of the Buckhorn Springs Tennis & Swim Club, had a regular-season roster comprised of Jay Bortner (captain), Marshall Veatch, Ralph Lennen, Richard Scott, Richard Assing, Fred King, Henry Marshall, Barry Shollenberger, James Whitaker, Jack Vandercook, Randy Chapman, Gene Pike, and Ronald Massey.
Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year to more than 865,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league. Players participate on teams administered by the USTA and its 17 sections across the U.S. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced). USTA League is open to any USTA member 18 years of age or older.
The 2015 USTA League season will be the third season with the updated structure and format which offers four age categories (Adult 18 & Over, Adult 40 & Over and Adult 55 & Over and Mixed 18 & Over) to better align participants with players their own age.
For more information about USTA Leagues in Florida go to www.ustaflorida.com/adulttennis/usta-leagues.
