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Tennis Center teams qualify for national competition

By NANCY MORGAN
Published May 17, 2006

When the St. Petersburg Tennis Center's 4.5 senior women's team traveled to Daytona Beach this month, its mission was to represent the area to the best of its ability in the USTA Florida Senior Sectional Championships. McMullen's senior 4.5 men's team planned to do more than represent. It planned to win.

Both missions were accomplished when the SPTC seven-player squad won its three matches for the state title and McMullen went five-for-five in match play. The teams qualified for the USTA National Adult League Championships in October.

"We are just thrilled with the win," said SPTC captain Heather Nicoll. "The whole weekend was intense. Even though we won our first two matches, it came down to the very last match. Then, it was a winner-take-all situation."

SPTC opened the tournament with three wins over Naples on the play of Jackie Keller and Liz Leigh in No. 1, Andrea Martin and Mary Jane Evertz No. 2 and Nicoll and Clara Reynolds No. 3.

In the second match against Jacksonville, Keller and Leigh scored their second third-set tiebreak win in No. 1, Martin and Evertz won 7-6, 6-2 in No. 2 and Nicoll and Diana Gabay collected a straight-set win in No. 3.

Squared up against Tallahassee for the title were Nicoll and Reynolds in No. 1, Keller and Leigh No. 2 and Martin and Evertz No. 3.

First off the court were Martin and Evertz with a third-set tiebreak win. When Keller and Leigh walked off the court with the three tennis balls, Nicoll knew they had the team win. Nicoll and Reynolds added a 6-4, 7-6 win for a clean sweep.

"We have regular partners and do switch around courts," said Nicoll. "We wanted to assure the team win against Tallahassee, so we switched around courts. It turned out that Jackie and Liz played Tallahassee's No. 1 in the second position, so they were thinking the same thing."

McMullen competed in a six-team round robin with the final match against Sarasota the determining contest. A 2-1 win there gave McMullen the state title.

"I knew Sarasota would be tough because three of their players went to nationals last year," said team captain Ron Massey. "We're strong, too, and have depth. With 12 players and depth, we didn't have to play anyone five times, so everyone was ready to play."

McMullen won 2-1 over Sarasota on the play of Paul Reilly and Jimmy Dundee in No. 1 and Terry Payton and Mike Carroll in No. 3.

On its way to the title, McMullen relied on Robin Kippenberger and Jeff Julien in No. 1, Marc Mazo and Bill Christensen No. 2 and Terry Payton and Fred Farzanegan No. 3 to beat Pensacola 3-0 in its opening match. Dundee and Carroll posted a 6-4, 6-1 win in No. 3 against Orlando and Mazo and Christensen added a third-set tiebreak win in No. 2 for a 2-1 win.

Straight-set wins from Kippenberger and Julien in No. 1, Dundee and Payton in No. 2 and Ralph Howe and Farzanegan in No. 3 gave McMullen a 3-0 victory over Gainesville to raise its record to 3-0. Payton and Carroll in No. 1 and Reilly and Dundee in No. 3 beat Jacksonville 2-1 and set up the determining match with Sarasota.

Rounding out the 13-player squad is Steve Talner.

This weekend, four more teams travel to Daytona Beach for USTA Florida Senior Sectionals in the 3.0 and 4.0 men's and women's divisions.

Competing will be McMullen's 3.0 and 4.0 women's teams, Feather Sound 3.0 men and the Vinoy 4.0 men.

Winners advance to the national championships in October.

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MORE LEAGUE NEWS: Leaders have emerged among the 38 women's and 28 men's teams in the St. Pete/Clearwater Adult Spring League. Sporting unbeaten records heading into the final weeks of competition among the women are McMullen's 5.0 2-0, 4.0 (5-0), 3.5 (6-0); Feather Sound Country Club 2.5 (3-0); Countryside 3.0 Egrets 5-0), 3.0 Herons (5-0) and 3.0 Pelicans (7-0); Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club 4.0 (4-0); and Royal Racquet Club 4.5 (4-0).

Unbeaten among the four men's divisions are McMullen 3.5 North (7-0) and 4.0 (5-0); Shipwatch Tennis Club 3.5 South (7-0); Seminole Lake Tennis Center 4.0 (5-0).

A Ladies Doubles Blend League is forming for Wednesday morning action. Each team consists of three teams with a combined NTRP rating of 6.5. Cost is $30 for each team of three squads. Sign up with Linda Kettell, 403-8588 or lhktennis@aol.com by May 31.

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NET SHOTS: Juniors traveling to Naples for this weekend's USTA National Open Tournament include Lindsay Dvorak, Christina Liles, Alexis Dorr, Yumi Hasegawa and Kyle Eddins.

ANOTHER TITLE: Bill Christensen upset the No. 1 seed Evert Jonsson of Destin 6-1, 6-1 to collect the men's 60-and-over Florida State Closed Singles title.

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COMING UP: Memories in Clearwater begins Saturday for juniors at the McMullen Tennis

Complex. Call 669-1919. ... The 16th annual Memorial Day Charity Tennis Tournament is May 26-29 at East Lake Woodlands. The men's, women's and mixed doubles NTRP contest will benefit the Arthritis Foundation. For information, call 785-2212 or e-mail TennisCharity@aol.com.

News for this column may be faxed to Nancy Morgan, 796-5559; e-mailed to namorgan46@msn.com or sent to 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.

[Last modified May 17, 2006, 08:46:34]