Jacksonville Teams 1st, 2nd at USTA League National Championships Tennis

Women’s USTA League teams from Jacksonville, Fla., won a national championship title and finished runner-up over the weekend at the USTA League 55 & Over National Championships, held Oct. 27-29, 2017 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando.

Defeating a team from USTA Hawaii (Oahu) 2-1 in the final, the Jacksonville 55 & Over women brought home the 8.0 division title for their local club, the public Southside Tennis Complex.

Earlier in the day the Jacksonville women defeated a team from USTA Eastern (Roslyn, N.Y.) 3-0 in the semifinals. They advanced to the semis by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.

At the Florida sectionals tournament in May the Jacksonville women advanced to the national championships after edging Broward County (Dillon Tennis Center, Oakland Park) 2-1 in the final. The team is captained by Mary Armstrong and includes team members Susan Walters, Holly Middleton, Kelly Groce, Nina Appleby, Diane Smowton, Pam Tyler, Sharon Anderson, Robin Albaneze, Teresa Borchelt, and Carol Whitmire.

The Jacksonville 55 & Over women in the 6.0 division were edged in their national championship match 2-1, finishing runner-up to USTA Northern California (Antelope, Calif.). Earlier in the day they defeated a team from USTA Northern (Minneapolis, Minn.) 2-1 in the semifinals. They advanced to the semis by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.

At the Florida sectionals tournament in May the Jacksonville women advanced to the national championships after edging Marion County (Ft. King Tennis Center, Ocala) 2-1 in the final. The team is captained by Barbara Smith and Donna Bernard, and includes Karen Sayre, Michelle Abner, Marie Malloy, Janet Daechsel, Bonnie King, Judy Peace, Nancy Blacker, and Pamela Ernst, and plays out of Deercreek Country Club.

Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 915,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.

For more information on USTA Florida Leagues go to www.ustaflorida.com/leagues.