Treasure Bay adds to successful season

A playoff last weekend gave Treasure Bay, formerly Paradise, a league championship in the senior women's 4.0 division.

Undefeated among six teams, Treasure Bay faced the Racquet Club of St.Petersburg, whose only loss in the season was to Treasure Bay.

"We had beaten them 3-0 during the season and hadn't lost a position in six matches," Treasure Bay captain Patti Prestera said. "According to the league rules, we needed to play them again for the championship."

Marion Murch teamed with Hank Skoczen in the No.1 position to defeat the Racquet Club's Sandy Martin and Gisela Leyva 6-3, 6-2. The Racquet Club responded with Carol Nelson and Barbara Boucek surviving a third-set tie-breaker at No.2.

Prestera and Barbara Brutus scored Treasure Bay's second point with a 6-4, 6-4 victory in No.3 over Linda Miller and Mary Ellen Shevlin.

"Quite a few of this year's team were on the team with me that advanced to senior nationals two years ago," Prestera said. "Others had sat out a year and received a 4.0 rating this year."

Joining Prestera this season from the squad that qualified for the 2001 nationals are Lynn Klein, Carol Hancock, Pat Kelly, Joan Plaster, Sharon Carlile, Susan Hobbs and Ann Worthington.

New to the squad are Judy Grim, Donna Dicus, Brutus, Skoczen and Murch.

"We were lucky to pick up the new players this year," Prestera said. "When I saw their ratings, I started early to get them to play for us.

"We were really close at nationals two years ago, and I can tell you that it's really tough to get out of Florida," she said. "It seems to get tougher each year."

First up for the Treasure Bay club will be the state tournament, May 16-19. Establishing set teams will take priority.

Some -- such as Murch and Skoczen, Worthington and Hobbs, Prestera and Hancock, Klein and Kelly and Grim and Dicus -- play doubles regularly. Between now and May, Prestera says, determining other squads will take precedence.

"We definitely have more strength this year," Prestera said. "We'll prepare to take advantage of that at state."

MORE PLAYOFFS: In the second week of the senior men's 4.0 action, Seminole Lakes Tennis Center rebounded from its loss last week to beat the Vinoy 3-0 and McMullen defeated East Lake Woodlands.

Winners for Seminole were John Beda and Mauro Rodriquez in No.1, Ron Klieve and Tim Kahle at No.2 and Larry Daum and Andre Cakarnis in No.3.

Sunday is the final round. Seminole (1-1) will play host to East Lake (1-1), and McMullen (2-0) is at the Vinoy (0-2).

In senior men's 3.5 competition, the Racquet Club of St.Petersburg swept Bardmoor Golf and Tennis Club 3-0, and Phil Green Tennis Academy defeated McMullen 2-1.

Ray Cianci and Dave Laesser won 6-1, 6-3 in No.1 for the Racquet Club, Tony Damouny and Tom Stewart were victorious at 6-3, 6-1 in No.2 and Jim Montgomery and Jim Nieset scored a 7-5, 6-2 victory at No.3.

Sunday, Bardmoor plays at McMullen and the Racquet Club entertains PGTA for Week 2 of the playoffs. The final round is scheduled for March 9.

MIXED LEAGUES: The Bardmoor 7.5 team with captain Bob Hagerman handed Mickie Gelestor's Bardmoor squad its second loss in the adult competition.

Winning in third-set tie-breakers for Bardmoor-Hagerman were Erika Boardman and Bob Simister in No.2 and Sylvia Hagerman and Gerry Miller at No.3. Victoria Tuller and Mike Carrigan scored a two-set victory in No.1 for Bardmoor-Gelestor.

In 7.5 senior competition, Bardmoor and captain Beda won their fifth match to finish out of reach in the five-team league.

In its final match of the season, Bardmoor beat the Racquet Club 2-1 on the play of Tuller and Carrigan at No.1 and Mickie and John Gelestor in No. 2. Rosemary and Steven Uebel posted a straight-set victory at No.3 for the Racquet Club.

Rounding out the Bardmoor-Beda squad are Gale and Larry Nickerson, Rhonda Thompson, Angela and Tom Lincicome, Mary Jane Evertz and Les Spang.

SUPER SENIORS: Shipwatch Tennis Club handed the PGTA 3.5 men's squad its first loss of the season, but PGTA won the North division in a tie-breaker.

The loss resulted in the two teams deadlocked at 5-1 and in positions won (14) and lost (4). PGTA lost 10 sets compared to Shipwatch's 11, which gave PGTA the title.

In the Shipwatch-PGTA match, Leslie Feist and Alan Smith won in the No.1 spot in straight sets for Shipwatch, as did John Finlayson and Henry Van Drunen at No.2.

PGTA waits for the South division to conclude March 18. Bardmoor has an edge in the five-team division.

In the 3.5 women's competition Monday, Innisbrook beat Bardmoor 3-0 to raise its record to 6-0 and even Bardmoor's at 2-2.

Innisbrook is in the lead with three weeks remaining in the schedule.

NET SHOTS: Jacki Simon upset the No.1 and No.3 seeds to win the 3.5 singles title in the NTRP Spring Championships in Temple Terrace.

Al Sarmiento knocked off the top seed in a men's 75-and-over semifinal en route to defeating the No.2 player in three sets for the St.Petersburg Country Club Super Seniors championship.

Bill Christensen defended his top seed to win the 55 crown.

Finalists included area players Don Mathias (65) and Bill Parsons (85).

Ed Hamilton and John Rensch captured the 55 and 60 doubles titles. Other winners included Dick Crawford and Hernan Molina (65), James Mackey and Robert King (75) and Paul Loveday and Thomas Stephens (80).

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