During the weekend of August 11-13, eight teams punched their tickets to the Nationals at the Mylan WTT Rec League National Qualifier in Virginia Beach, Va. The tournament, which was held at the Virginia Beach Tennis and Country Club, drew 33 teams competing in eight divisions. The championship teams advance to the Mylan WTT Nationals, Nov. 3-5, in Indian Wells, Calif.
The 2017 Mylan WTT Rec League National Qualifier schedule includes seven events leading up to the Mylan WTT Nationals in Indian Wells. The final NQ is set for September 15-17 at Heritage Park in Irvine, Calif.
3.0 Division:
In the 3.0 Division, five teams battled through four round-robin matches each to determine which squad would move on to the November Nationals. Serve-Aces, of Cary, N.C., came ready to play and won their first three matches handily. In their fourth contest, Serve-Aces met local team Racquetship 3.0, of Virginia Beach, Va., which was also undefeated. Serve-Aces eventually managed to claim a 32-24 victory after Racquetship mounted a comeback with five games in extended play before Serve-Aces could win one game over their toughest opponent to book their first trip to the year-end championships. Led by captain Cindy Winzenz, other team members included, Andrew Winzenz, Jane Limkakeng, Keerthi Venkataramanan and Kent Lawrence, all of Cary, N.C.; and Emily Childs, Fuquay Varina, N.C.
3.5 Division:
Teams in the 3.5 Division were aiming to secure their spot in the Sunday final through their first three matches over the weekend. Local favorite Racquetship, of Virginia Beach, Va., cruised to a 3-0 record while Lawrence, of Cary, N.C., consecutively routed their opponents to meet the other undefeated team in the final. Going into the mixed set, the match was tied. However, it was the experience of Racquetship that propelled them past Lawrence 29-27 in a close contest that allows them to make a return trip to Nationals. Led by captain Brian Swietzer, other winning teammates included Aden Murray, Bryan Garcia, Chris Livingston, Holly Gronhovd, Karne Van Daniker and Mark Forster, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Lauren Safe and Nick Asaro, both of Chesapeake, Va.
4.0 Division:
With a coveted title bid on the line, six teams would play five round-robin matches throughout the weekend to crown a 4.0 Division champion. The field was highly competitive and three teams ended up winning four matches and dropping only one. Beach Breakers, of Virginia Beach, Va.; Pachauri, of St. Louis; and UB at the Kids Table, of Durham, N.C., all finished with tied records, but it was UB at the Kids Table that had the highest winning percentage that allowed them advance to their first final. Led by captain Marion Wing, other teammates included Evan Wharton, both of Durham, N.C.; Matt Jones and Yubie Albert, all of Raleigh, N.C.; Mic Wallace, Holly Springs, N.C.; and Tanita Tedamrongwanish, Cary, N.C.
4.5 Division:
Three teams took to the courts to try to capture the 4.5 Division title, but only one could ultimately prevail. Vissering, of Fulton, Md., ended up beating both Raintree, of Henrico, Va., and VB 4.5, of Virginia Beach, Va., two times apiece to stay undefeated and earn their first bid to Nationals later this year. Led by captain Dao Vissering, other team members included Jonathan Vissering, both of Fulton, Md.; Christopher Robinson and Eric Ripkin, both of Silver Spring, Md.; James Smoot, Baltimore; Stephanie Kiker, Annapolis, Md.; Yiaska Cohen, Olneym Md.; Dejuan Mcilwain, Laurel, Md.; and Colee Schroeder, Orlando, Fl.
Senior 4.0 Division:
Having experienced Nationals before, Brew Crew, of Virginia Beach, Va., came into the weekend with a return trip on their agenda. However, in their first match of the weekend, they faced off with Intrepids Senior, of Miami Gardens, Fla., which had title plans of their own. Intrepids Senior defeated the former division champs 29-26. Brew Crew had to rebound quickly and met fellow Virginia Beach team, Fireballers, and scraped by 25-21 to return to form. A one-point victory over their second match against Intrepids Senior energized them to finish the weekend 3-1 and earn another trip to Indian Wells. Led by captain Leetsa Nottingham, other winning teammates included Ben McCoy, Claudette Sealy, Debra Trent, Doug Atkins, Jean Bailey and Karen Adcock, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Michael Sullivan and Roy Loehr, both of Chesapeake, Va.; and Louis Manugo, Norfolk, Va.
Senior 4.5 Division:
Three teams were ready to compete for the Senior 4.5 Division championship, and the competition amongst the group proved that they were all aware of what was on the line. Early Bird Specials, of Cary, N.C., had won a title before and wanted to secure their spot in the final championship later this year. Kicking off their weekend with a 29-26 win over VA Acers, of Fredericksburg, Va., Early Bird Specials would go on to beat them once more and split the pair of matches against Short Skirts Long Racquets. With a 3-1 record on the weekend, Early Bird Specials stayed atop the standings and landed in the November Nationals again. Led by captain Jeff Madia, other team members included Dori Mathews, Jeffrey Romeo, Laura Hiller and Marti Crane, all of Cary, N.C.; Sue Baer, Apex, N.C.; and William Carter, Holly Springs, N.C.
Super Senior 3.5 Division:
In a three-team division with round robin matches determining a titlist, the Super Senior 3.5 players knew what was on the line and brought their A game. PittBalls 2, of Virginia Beach, Va., would begin their championship campaign with a 31-25 win over Life‘s a Beach, of San Diego. In their second match, PittBalls 2 played hometown rival Fun Hitters, also of Virginia Beach, and narrowly edged them in a 22-20 victory. With experience on their side, PittBalls 2 would go on to defeat Life‘s a Beach once more and then lose to Fun Hitters. But in the end, the 3-1 record that PittBalls 2 posted gave them a bid to the Indian Wells finals later this year. Led by captain Charlie Pittman, other championship teammates included Cynthia Futrell, James Futrell, Robert Clark and Sandra Claxton, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Daniel Weckstein and Debi Karst, both of Chesapeake, Va.
Super Senior 4.0 Division:
Two teams met in the Super Senior 4.0 Division round, and only one team could advance to Nationals. In their first matchup, VB Superservers, of Virginia Beach, scored a 20-17 win over their opponent. With a chance to challenge the local favorite, Intrepids Super Senior, of Miami Gardens, Fla., came up short again in a 20-14 loss, giving VB Superservers a second win and their inaugural bid to Nationals. Led by captain Ben McCoy, other titlist teammates included Diane Sturtevant, Karen Scott, Michele Fischer, Robert Makin, Robert Harris, Stover Withers, Timothy Harrison and Karen Barry, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
MYLAN WTT REC NATIONAL QUALIFIER SCHEDULE
September 15-17 Heritage Park – Irvine, Calif.
November 3-5 Mylan WTT Nationals ÔÇô Indian Wells, Calif.
For more information on WTT Rec League programs, visit www.WTT.com/RecLeagues or visit the official Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/wttrecleague.
RESULTS FROM THE 2017 WTT REC LEAGUE NATIONAL QUALIFIER ÔÇô Virginia Beach, Va. | August 11-13, 2017
3.0 DIVISION:
Serve-Aces (Cary, N.C.) wins the Division with a 4-0 round robin record.
1) Serve-Aces (finished with a 4-0 round robin record)
Cindy Winzenz (captain), Andrew Winzenz, Jane Limkakeng, Keethi Venkataramanan and Kent Lawrence, all of Cary, N.C.; Emily Childs, Fuquay Varina, N.C.; and Susan Hill, Apex, N.C.
2) Racquetship (finished with a 3-1 round robin record)
Brian Switzer (captain), Courtney Wright, Exzur Dullas, Karen Van Daniker, Lorie Whalen and Tommy Van Daniker, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
3) Smashers (finished with a 2-2 round robin record)
Shariq Qureshi (captain) and JoAnne Wilson, both of Henrico, Va.; Aqtedar Mohammed and Jean Davis, both of Mechanicsville, Va.; Deanne Ralston, Richmond, Va.; and Karmen Yu, Glen Allen, Va.
4) Simply Smashing (finished with a 1-3 round robin record)
Erik Ringberg and Scott Terrell (captain), all of Glen Allen, Va.; Bob Lancaster, Brenda Cosby and Ryan Rilee, all of Richmond, Va.; Kacie Painter, Mechanicsville, Va.; Larry Stepp, Marineth Kight, Shelley Stepp and David Kight, all of Henrico, Va.
5) The Colorado Rockies (finished with a 0-4 round robin record)
Lisa Bass (captain), Hau Vinh, Jojo Chittum and Marvin Mathwig, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
3.5 DIVISION:
Racquetship (Virginia Beach, Va.) def. Lawrence (Cary, N.C.) 29-27 to win the 3.5 Division Championship.
1) Racquetship (defeated Lawrence in the Championship final to win the division)
Brian Swietzer (captain), Aden Murray, Bryan Garcia, Chris Livingston, Holly Gronhovd, Karne Van Daniker, Mark Forster and Courtney Wright, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Lauren Safe and Nick Asaro, both of Chesapeake, Va.
2) Lawrence (finished as runner-up, lost in finals to Racquetship)
Shannon Lawrence (captain), Keerthi Venkataramanan, Donna Reist, Ed Bernier, Kent Lawrence, Leesa Pollone and Cindy Winzenz, all of Cary, N.C.; John Van Campen, Raleigh, N.C.; and Simon Pipkin, Carrboro, N.C.
4 Love of the Game (finished with a 2-1 round robin record)
Jose Guevarat (non-playing captain), Cori Smith, David Ritter, Gary Heisler, Laruen Haupt, Russell Smirh, Steven Frucci and Tyrone Wilson, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Kayla Martin and Kelly Waldrop, both of Norfolk, Va.; and Sheryl Harris, Suffolk, Va.
Lobstoppers (finished with a 2-1 round robin record)
Todd Sartwell (captain), Carolyn Werner, Erica Sartwell, Kim Craft, Patrick Zimmernan, Thomas Werner and Traci Corcoran, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
The Mobsters (finished with a 1-2 round robin record)
Nikki D‘Ambrose (captain), Eva Garland, Shep McAllister and Zana Piric, all of Raleigh, N.C.; Brian Stumm, Apex, N.C., and Mario Karcevski, Cary, N.C.
Woodlake-Poindexter (finished with a 1-2 round robin record)
Crissy Poindexter (captain), Eric Estes, Dave Poindexter, Carly Ritter, Jim Ritter and Patrick Urban, all of Midlothian, Va.; Dave McCoy and Jennifer Harris, both of Moseley, Va.; MyLan Barfield, Chesterfield, Va.; and Stacy Wiseman, North Chesterfield, Va.
Rickety Racquets (finished with a 0-3 round robin record)
Trevor Rees (captain) and Shashi Pathak, both of St. Peters, Mo.; and Peter Albrecht and Rose Albrecht, both of O‘Fallon, Mo.
Schlottner Bartell (finished with a 0-3 round robin record)
Andy Bartell (captain), Niskayuna, N.Y.; Lee Ann Werner, Clifton Park, N.Y.; Douglas Doherty and Paula Doherty, both of Averill Park, N.Y.; Isaiah Swart, Altamont, N.Y.; Julie Sheridan, Singerlands, N.Y.; Justin Hoffman, Colonie, N.Y.; and Aida Varuzza and Jose Varuzza, both of Schenectady, N.Y.
4.0 DIVISION:
UB at the Kids Table (Durham, N.C.) wins the Division based on winning percentage.
UB at the Kids Table (finished with a 4-1 round robin record)
Marion Wing (captain) and Evan Wharton, both of Durham, N.C.; Matt Jones, Strickland Parks and Yubie Albert, all of Raleigh, N.C.; Matt Kerl and Stacy Kerl, both of Bonner Springs, N.C.; Mic Wallace, Holly Springs, N.C.; and Tanita Tedamrongwanish of Cary, N,C.
Beach Breakers (finished with a 4-1 round robin record)
Leetsa Nottingham, Diane Stein, James Bracy, Johann Cujardo, Justin McDaniel, Karen Anderson, Katie Claxton, Pedro Cujardo, Vinita Folck, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Louis Manugo, Norfolk, Va.
Pachauri (finished with a 4-1 round robin record)
Amit Pachauri (captain), Judy Sindecuse, Patty Hudson and Santiago Beltran, all of St. Louis.
Ebony Smashers (finished with a 2-3 round robin record)
Deno John (captain) and Christopher Mack, both of Clayton, N.C.; Craig Radley, Dempsey Farmer, Gerardette Furlow, Jeremy Alston, Keisha Price, Queen Hargrove and Samual Enitan, all of Raleigh, N.C.; and Eric Emmanuel, Goldsboro, N.C.
We‘re Kinda Four Oh (finished with a 1-4 round robin record)
Michael Erguiza (captain), Norfolk, Va.; Karen Mueller, Kathleen Milligan and Shunsuke Araki, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Yuichi Yanahara, Yorktown, Va.
Mildly Offensive (finished with a 0-5 round robin record)
Nick Galvez (captain), Durham, N.C.; Jared Zopp, Lewisburg, N.C.; Kathleen Wirth and Jake Wolfe, both of Hillsboro, N.C.; Kristin Lahey, Patty Dischinger, Paul Snow and Sharon Campbell, all of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Vincent Pareja, Raleigh, N.C.
4.5 DIVISION:
Vissering (Fulton, Md.) posts a 4-0 record to win the Division Championship.
1) Vissering (finished with a 4-0 round robin record)
Dao Vissering (captain) and Jonathan Vissering, both of Fulton, Md.; Christopher Robinson and Eric Ripkin, both of Silver Spring, Md.; James Smoot, Baltimore; Patrick Yi, Chantilly, Stephanie Kiker, Annapolis, Md.; Yiaska Cohen, Olneym, Md.; Dejuan Mcilwain, Laurel, Md.; and Colee Schroeder, Orlando, Fl.
2) Raintree (finished with a 2-2 round robin record)
Bartlo Oosthuizen (captain), Christy Holt, Courtney Greiner, Doug Bond and Ralph Agpaoa, all of Henrico, Va.; Christina Shifflett, Mechanicsville, Va.; and Doug Erickson, Glen Allen, Va.
3) VB 4.5 (finished with a 0-4 round robin record)
Meredith Cutchin (captain), Jean Bailey, Thomas Kuhrt, Grant Cutchin, Sutherlyn Brinn, Katie Claxton, Michael Therrien and Brandon Beavers, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
SENIOR 4.0 DIVISION:
Brew Crew (Virginia Beach, Va.) posts a 3-1 record to win the Division Championship.
1) Brew Crew (finished with a 3-1 round robin record)
Leetsa Nottingham (captain), Ben McCoy, Claudette Sealy, Debra Trent, Doug Atkins, Jean Bailey and Karen Adcock, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Michael Sullivan and Roy Loehr, both of Chesapeake, Va.; and Louis Manugo, Norfolk, Va.
2) Intrepids Senior (finished with a 2-2 round robin record)
Nate Harris (captain), Miami Gardens, Fla.; Audley Cornwall, Jacksonville, Fla.; Gayla Price, Greensboro, N.C.; Joel Palmer and Syl David, both of North Miami, Fla.; and Willie Marshall, Miramar, Fla.
3) Fireballers (finished with a 1-3 round robin record)
Linda Cedo (captain), Carl Seger, Jun Manuel, Kim Johnston, Manny Bagtas, La Vern Savage and Oscar Palarca, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Ray Cruz, Chesapeake, Va.; Rose Blackmon, Carrollton, Ga.; and May Leslie, Camarillo, Ca.
SENIOR 4.5 DIVISION:
Early Bird Specials (Cary, N.C.) posts a 3-1 record to win the Division Championship.
1) Early Bird Specials (finished with a 3-1 round robin record)
Jeff Madia (captain), Dori Mathews, Jeffrey Romeo, Laura Hiller and Marti Crane, all of Cary, N.C.; Sue Baer, Apex, N.C.; and William Carter, Holly Springs, N.C.
2) Short Skirts Long Racquets (finished with a 2-2 round robin record)
David Sloane (captain), Kathy Courage, Lionel Jacob, Miki Mizuki, Molly Nissman, Tijen Ireland and Thomas Kuhrt, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; Sheryl Raulston, Franklin, Va.; Shaun Morse, Chesapeake, Va.
3) VA Acers (finished with a 1-3 round robin record)
Suzanne McInteer (captain), Brenda Christoforatos, Jack Tracy, Jerry Christoforatos, Leslie Caliri and Widna Benitex, all of Fredericksburg, Va.; Andrew Reynolds, Arlington, Va.; Joe Cassady, Vienna, Va.; Maureen Blackwood, Richmond, Va.; and Timothy Waters, Alexandria, Va.
SUPER SENIOR 3.5 DIVISION:
PittBalls 2(Virginia Beach, Va.) posts a 3-1 record to win the Division Championship.
1) PittBalls 2 (finished with a 3-1 round robin record)
Charlie Pittman (captain), Cynthia Futrell, James Futrell, Margaret Pittman, Mike Hayes, Robert Clark and Sandra Claxton, all of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Daniel Weckstein and Debi Karst, both of Chesapeake, Va.
2) Life‘s a Beach (finished with a 2-2 round robin record)
Mike Hasan (captain), Jeff Greenwald, Susan Curtin, and Donna Dube, all of San Diego, Calif.
3) Fun Hitters (finished with a 1-3 round robin record)
Patricio Tapia (non-playing captain), Nancy Asa, Paula Stansbury, Teodoro Asa, Conchita Fox and Stanley Wright, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
SUPER SENIOR 4.0 DIVISION:
VB Superservers (Virginia Beach, Va.) posts a 2-0 record to win the Division Championship.
1) VB Superservers (finished with a 2-0 round robin record)
Ben McCoy (captain), Diane Sturtevant, Karen Scott, Michele Fischer, Robert Makin, Robert Harris, Stover Withers, Timothy Harrison and Karen Barry, all of Virginia Beach, Va.
2) Intrepids Super Senior (finished with a 0-2 round robin record)
Norflett Harris (captain), Miami Gardens, Fla.; Syl David, North Miami, Fla.; Ashley Chung, Rochester, N.Y.; Claudia Oates, Cleveland, Ohio; and Jessie David, Miami.
