Though Lisa Street took up tennis at an age some may consider late, she quickly caught up with her peers.
Growing up in Peoria, Ill., Street learned the game at 12 and was playing tournaments at 14. Her aggressive baseline style launched her into national rankings in the 16-and-under and 18 singles divisions.
"There wasn't a lot to do in Peoria when I grew up, and there was an indoor tennis club there," Street, 41, said. "Playing was fun and I liked running down balls. There were a lot of good players at the club in the '70s. That helped my game tremendously."
Street, nee Ehrgott, played for Florida State, majored in clothing and textile and moved to the Tampa area after graduation in 1984. For 12 years, Street has lived in Lutz and is a vice president of a local business, responsible for merchandising design and product selection.
"My first eight years after college, I didn't play tennis at all," Street said. "Then, when a friend from Peoria moved here about 10 years ago, I got back into it some. I played in the K-Swiss League and that helped me get back into singles. In college, I never thought of myself as a doubles player and in the juniors, I hardly ever played any doubles.
"Since I've been here, I play more doubles. It's fun, the points are faster and I'm learning to be more aggressive."
In last month's USA Tennis Florida West Regional Championships in Naples, Street and her Tampa Yacht's 4.5 adult women's squad defeated teams from Naples, St. Petersburg and Sarasota to advance to this weekend's USA Tennis Florida Adult League State Championships in Daytona Beach.
"I've never played USTA league full-time before this season, and I had recently joined Harbour Island so I knew some of the other players on the team," Street said.
At the west regional, Street played No. 1 doubles with Sharon Benson and won in a third-set tiebreaker. Though the squad is filled with strength and depth, Street said, four matches against Naples were won in third-set tiebreakers.
"Even though we won all the overall team matches, we had a lot of close matches that could have gone the other way," Street said. "You play that 10-point third-set tiebreaker differently, although I don't feel positive or negative about it."
"You have to have the attitude that the match isn't over 'til it's over and concentrate on playing each game one point at a time, whether you're up or down."
Street feels optimistic about her team's chances at state, though she never has been there to assess the competition.
Tampa Yacht will face teams from Orlando, Ponte Vedra and Miami. The winner qualifies for the USTA Adult League National Championships in the fall.
ALSO TO STATE: Area teams joining Tampa Yacht at the three-day state competition include men from McMullen of Clearwater (3.0), the Racquet Club of St. Petersburg (3.5) and Seminole Lake Tennis Center (4.0).
NET SHOTS: In Combo League playoffs Saturday, Shipwatch II eliminated Feather Sound 2-1 in the men's 7.5 and the Racquet Club of St. Petersburg beat Shipwatch I 3-0.
Hudson's John Miller was among singles winners in last weekend's Summer Classic at Royal Racquet Club in Clearwater. Unseeded Miller beat Jonathan Bloom of Safety Harbor 6-1, 6-1 in the men's 35-and-over final.
Other area winners included Lauren Scaglione in the women's open. Alex Deeb was a finalist in the 45 singles.
Top players in the Zephyrhills Tennis Association round robin were Cellie Forrester among the women and Rick Stewart among the men. ZTA member Dick Moffat directed the event at Zephyr Park's McCannon Courts.
Among teams qualifying for this fall's Georgia-Florida Team Tennis Challenge in Jacksonville were Team Thomas Vipors under-14 coed advanced and Team Thomas Aces 18-and-under.
COMING UP: Tampa Palms Golf and Country Club hosts its Junior Summertime Classic Aug. 20-22. Call Michael Norton, 813 632-1676. ... The inaugural USTA Adult Men's Fall League will play September to October and conclude before the USTA Senior Doubles League. Winners will participate in spring playoffs. Interested teams should contact coordinator Norm Ott, (727) 526-7966, or norm.ott@verizon.net
News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 727 796-5559; e-mailed to namorgan46@msn.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.
