December 15th, 2015
Alachua, Hillsborough Successfully Defend Titles at USTA Florida Combo 50 & Over Tennis Chps.
Teams from Apollo Beach (independent team from Hillsborough County), Bradenton (Lakewood Ranch Country Club, Sarasota/Manatee counties), Gainesville (Gainesville Country Club, Alachua County), Marco Island (Greater Marco Family YMCA, Collier County), Punta Gorda (Punta Gorda YMCA, Lee/Charlotte counties), and Stuart (Buttonwood Tennis Club, Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties) took home Florida state titles in their respective divisions over the weekend at the 2015 USTA Florida Combo 50 & Over League Sectional Championships, held Dec. 11-13 at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.
Pinellas County, which leads the way in state titles in 2015 (see standings below), was denied in two finals, as was Marion County. Collier County nearly won two titles, but the Heritage Bay Country Club team from Naples came up just short 2-1 to Lee/Charlotte counties (Punta Gorda YMCA) in the Men’s 7.5 division final.
Alachua County won for the second straight year in the Men’s 6.5 division, as did Hillsborough County in the Men’s 8.5 division.
The competing teams represented various clubs, parks, recreational departments and organizations, and finished at the top of their local leagues during the 2015 season in the state of Florida to advance to the USTA Florida Combo 50 & Over Sectional Championships.
Finals results:
Combo 50 & Over Women’s 6.5
Final: Collier County (Greater Marco Family YMCA, Marco Island) d. Pinellas County (East Lake Woodlands Country Club, Oldsmar) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Mary Fischer/Stephanie Opel (Collier) d. Leslie McMahon/Andrea Reilly 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (super-tiebreaker)
No. 2 Doubles: Bea Lynch/Amy Burns (Pinellas) d. Lisa Meurgue/Lorraine Graefenstein 7-5, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Elizabeth Midkiff/Jean Martin (Collier) d. Rochelle Daly/Annica Katsarelis 6-4, 6-2
Collier Season Roster: Karen Lewis (captain), Stephanie Opel, Lisa Meurgue, Mary Nugent, Jacqueline Heise, Elizabeth Midkiff, Maria Earl, Lorraine Graefenstein, Rosie Harrington, Jean Martin, Valerie Colondona, Debra Caudill, Mary Fischer
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Combo 50 & Over Women’s 7.5
Final: Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties (Buttonwood Tennis Club, Stuart) d. Marion County (Ft. King Tennis Center, Ocala) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Marguerite Madden/Sandra Chapin (IR) d. Nancy Little/Jane Fontaine 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 Doubles: Beth Daly/Anna Haman (IR) d. Lisa Beamesderfer/Deborah Borge-Shaffer 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (super-tiebreaker)
No. 3 Doubles: Pamela Plumlee/Wendy MacMurray (Marion) d. Marie-Paule Cafmeyer/Sandra Rae 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (super-tiebreaker)
Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin Season Roster: Marie-Paule Cafmeyer (captain), Jessica Agee-Bradshaw, Sandra Rae, Annmarie Vandersluis, Sandra Chapin, Anna Haman, Brenda Evans, Carol Rozzi, Beth Daly, Deborah Iandoli, Nancy Alvarez, Luann Anderson, Marguerite Madden
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Combo 50 & Over Women’s 8.5
Final: Sarasota/Manatee counties (Lakewood Ranch Country Club, Bradenton) d. Escambia County (Roger Scott Tennis Center, Pensacola) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Mary Evertz/Denise Lebert (Escambia) d. Astrid Graalman/Arletha Blackman 6-3, 6-0
No. 2 Doubles: Mary Poncin/Lori Faunce (S/M) d. Patricia Addison/Beth Ptacek 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 Doubles: Lorraine Varone/Peggy Winsler (S/M) d. Tami Manning/Betty Wolff 6-4, 6-2
Sarasota/Manatee Season Roster: Allyson Hoffman (captain), Sheila Perry, Gloria Adams, Mary Poncin, Mary Hennessy, Marilyn Weisenberg, Peggy Winsler, Lori Faunce, Astrid Graalman, Julie Wolfe, Arletha Blackman, Yvette Sherman, Lorraine Varone, Julie Warren
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Combo 50 & Over Men’s 6.5
Final: Alachua County (Gainesville Country Club) finished ahead of Marion County (Ft. King Tennis Center, Ocala) 4-0 to 2-2 in round robin play
Alachua Season Roster: Richard Menendez (captain), Trace Armstrong, Malcolm Maden, Donald van Schuppen, Ed Stark, Mark Patlovich, Jorg Bungert, Tony Dunn, Michael Reuschel, Scott Lamp, Muhammad Ali, Cary Blakely, William Wiltbank, John Brandt, Oscar Leyva
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Combo 50 & Over Men’s 7.5
Final: Lee/Charlotte counties (Punta Gorda YMCA) d. Collier County (Heritage Bay Country Club, Naples) 2-1
Championship Match Results:
No. 1 Doubles: Kevin Bouffard/Charles Hudson (L/C) d. Ronald Bartlett/Doug Clough 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 Doubles: Kim Leggett/Frank Blankenship (L/C) d. Douglas Evans/Rick Barnard 6-4, 6-0
No. 3 Doubles: Mike Ruffolo/Paul Michaels (Collier) d. Neil Cernese/Steven Stanley 6-3, 6-3
Lee/Charlotte Season Roster: Neil Cernese (captain), Kevin Bouffard, Gregory Huning, Brian Greenlee, Steven Stanley, Gary Burger, Charles Hudson, Frank Blankenship, Thomas Anderson, Kim Leggett, Osman Haniff
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Combo 50 & Over Men’s 8.5
Final: Hillsborough County (Apollo Beach) finished ahead of Pinellas County (St. Pete Tennis Center) 4-0 to 2-2 in round robin play
Hillsborough Season Roster: James Smiechewicz (captain), Randy Chapman, Brian Kenney, David Biren, Kenneth Andersen, Curt Kenyon, Jack Vandercook, Paul Curtis, Chris Canfield, Ignacio Molina, Vijay Paul
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For Combo 50 & Over 6.5-8.5 doubles-only 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 NTRP levels go to www.usta.com/Adult-Tennis/USTA-League/Information/About_NTRP.
2015 USTA FLORIDA ADULT LEAGUE
SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE LEADERS
Pinellas County remains in the top spot on the leaderboard for USTA Florida League Sectionals titles thus far in 2015, with a four-way tie for second place (through Dec. 15, recent winners in bold):
1. Pinellas County (7 titles) — 65 & Over M8.0, W8.0, Mixed 40 & Over 9.0, 40 & Over W4.0, 40 & Over M3.5, 40 & Over M4.5+, Mixed 55 & Over 8.0
2T. Broward County (4) — 55 & Over W4.5, 18 & Over W4.0 & M5.0+, 18 & Over W4.5
2T. Duval County (4) — 65 & Over W6.0, 55 & Over W4.0, 55 & Over M3.5, 18 & Over W2.5
2T. Hillsborough County (4) — 55 & Over M4.0, 40 & Over W4.5+, 18 & Over W5.0+, Combo 50 & Over M8.5
2T. Indian River/St. Lucie/Martin counties (4) — 65 & Over W7.0, 55 & Over W3.5, Mixed 18 & Over 8.0, Combo 50 & Over W7.5
6T. Marion County (3) — 40 & Over W3.0, 18 & Over M2.5, Mixed 18 & Over 7.0
6T. Miami-Dade County (3) — 40 & Over M4.0, 18 & Over M4.0, 18 & Over M4.5
6T. Orange/Seminole counties (3) — Mixed 40 & Over 7.0, 18 & Over W3.0, 18 & Over W3.5
6T. Sarasota/Manatee counties (3) — 55 & Over M4.5, Mixed 18 & Over 9.0, Combo 50 & Over W8.5
6T. Volusia/Flagler counties (3) — Mixed 40 & Over 6.0, 18 & Over M3.0, Mixed 55 & Over 7.0
11T. Alachua County (2) — Mixed 18 & Over 2.5, Combo 50 & Over M6.5
11T. Collier County (2) — 55 & Over W3.0, Combo 50 & Over W6.5
11T. Escambia County (2) — Mixed 40 & Over 8.0, 40 & Over W3.5
11T. Lee/Charlotte counties (2) — 65 & Over M7.0, Combo 50 & Over M7.5
11T. Leon County (2) — 40 & Over M3.0, 18 & Over M3.5
16T. Brevard County (1) — Mixed 18 & Over 10.0
16T. Clay County (1) — Mixed 18 & Over 6.0
For more info on USTA Florida Leagues go to www.ustaflorida.com/leagues.
