Preview: Ocala Rides Record Streak into USTA Florida Combo Tennis Chps.

Ocala teams will attempt to continue their dominance of the USTA Florida Combo 18 & Over leagues when they defend multiple titles this weekend at the USTA Florida Combo 18 & Over (6.5/8.5) League Tennis Championships, held Jan. 16-18, 2015, at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs.

The Ocala men have won the Combo 18 & Over 6.5 Division for a record-breaking four straight years (2010-13), while the Ocala women are also the defending champs in the 6.5 Division.

Two other teams will also be flexing their muscles in trying to defend multiple titles. The Tallahassee men are the two-time defending champions in the 8.5 division, while the South Miami-Dade women are the two-time defending champs in the 8.5 division.

Competing teams advanced to the sectional championships by winning local USTA League play.

Fifty-three teams representing 20 counties or regions will participate, including the counties or regions of Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Collier, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin, Lee/Charlotte, Leon, Marion, North Miami-Dade, North Palm Beach, Orange/Seminole, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota/Manatee, South Miami-Dade, South Palm Beach, and Volusia/Flagler counties.

Here are the teams competing this weekend:

MEN’S PARTICIPATING TEAMS

Combo 18 & Over Men’s 6.5 Division

Flight 1
Alachua County (captain: Gabriel Ghita)
Marion County (Alan MacMurray)
Pinellas County (Cameron McCaskill)
Polk County (Kent Windham)

Flight 2
Escambia County (captain: Robert Timby)
Hillsborough County (John Cotey)
Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties (Tom Keane)
Leon County (Andrew Lawyer)

Combo 18 & Over Men’s 8.5 Division

Flight 1
Alachua County (captain: Dr. Ashok Kumar)
Duval County (Louis Saig)
Escambia County (Pete Moore)
Polk County (Brian Marston)

Flight 2
Leon County (captain: Iain Harnden)
Orange/Seminole counties (Carl Smedberg)
Pinellas County (Gene Chabot)
Sarasota/Manatee counties (Andrew Chiang)

Flight 3
Broward County (captain: Gustavo Risquez)
Hillsborough County (Mike Hooper)
Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties (Kenneth Cisneros)
Lee/Charlotte counties (Ken Casola)
South Palm Beach County (John Harper)

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATING TEAMS

Combo 18 & Over Women’s 6.5 Division

Flight 1
Alachua County (captain: Jennifer Kiousis)
Escambia County (Tonya Del Gallo)
North Palm Beach County (Caryn Jacquish)
South Miami-Dade County (Tracie Williams)

Flight 2
Lee/Charlotte counties (captain: Amy Newton)
Marion County (Kathy Houpt)
Orange/Seminole counties (Melissa Pertko)
Pinellas County (Dori Hazama)

Flight 3
Brevard County (captain: Shannon Johnson)
Hillsborough County (Stephanie Simpson)
Polk County (Elisa Buffington)
Sarasota/Manatee counties (Patricia Cunningham)

Flight 4
Collier County (captain: Andrea Washak)
Duval County (Susan Kubricht)
Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties (Reinalyn Albrecht)
Leon County (Denean Sykes)

Combo 18 & Over Women’s 8.5 Division

Flight 1
Alachua County (captain: Cindy Karaphillis)
Lee/Charlotte counties (Wendy Hechler)
Leon County (Kelly Hetherington)
South Miami-Dade County (Maria Mustelier)

Flight 2
Pinellas County (captain: Laura Garza)
Brevard County (Damita Wright)
Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties (Cindy DiNenna)
Broward County (Veronica Wank)

Flight 3
Duval County (captain: Margaret Hatfield)
Hillsborough County (Mary Beth Sultenfuss)
Orange/Seminole counties (Rikki Myers)
Sarasota/Manatee counties (Julie Wolfe)

Flight 4
Escambia County (captain: Shaner Garner Crooke)
Marion County (Christy Drawdy)
North Palm Beach County (Linda Emilson)
South Palm Beach County (Rie Gibbons)

For Combo 18 & Over 6.5/8.5 division play, the combined NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) ratings of each doubles team may not exceed the level in which they are competing, and the NTRP rating difference between members of an individual doubles pair may not exceed 0.5. 

For more information on this weekend’s event, including the released match schedules click here.