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ATLANTA (August 27, 2006) – Three teams from Virginia swept the titles at the WTT Recreational League National Qualifier this weekend at Racquet Club of the South in Atlanta, earning a trip to the WTT Nationals, Nov. 2-5, in Indian Wells, Calif. Nineteen recreational tennis teams from five states competed for regional championships in the national qualifying event for the World TeamTennis Recreational League presented by Advanta.
The team representing Jefferson Lakeside Country Club of Richmond, Va., flattened the competition in the 3.5 Division. The squad led by captain Grant Slegowski of Richmond, outscored opponents 139-45 in their four matches. Jefferson Lakeside Country Club earned their first trip to the national finals with a 35-17 win over the James Gang of Mobile, Ala. It will be the second time for Slegowski to qualify for nationals as he played on the 3.0 national championship team in 2005. Slegowski’s teammates are Kerri Rhodes, Esther Fratkin, Sallie Taylor, Manh Nguyen, and Charles Wayland, all of Richmond.
Mobile Mojo of Mobile, Ala., and Southside Slammers I of Virginia Beach, Va., staged a back- and-forth battle for the 3.0 Division title. Captain Ed Ocampo of Virginia Beach led the Slammers to the title with a 2-1 record over the Mobile team captained by Dianne Roggy. After dropping the first match to the Slammers 28-25, the Mojo rallied for a 28-27 win in the second match. In the tie- breaking third match, the Slammers outdistanced the Mojo 32-26 for the championship. Ocampo is joined on the Slammers team by Fernando Perez, Pat Tapia , Linda Cedo and Karen Adcock, all of Virginia Beach.
In the 4.0 Division, All Mixed Up of Virginia Beach, Va., edged past WFATA Fury of Raleigh, N.C., 30-26, in the final. Co-captains Fiona Morrison and Alex Perez and their All Mixed Up teammates posted a 3-0 record in round-robin play. In the semifinals the team built on their momentum with a 36-19 victory over McGhee Ballers of Fayetteville, Ga. Perez and Morrison’s teammates are Miki Mizuki, Stephen Esposito, Laura Hoots, Lisa Davies-Morris, Ashley Nations and Bryan Blaine, all of Virginia Beach.
In addition to qualifiers already contested in Bradenton, Fla., Las Vegas, St. Louis, Schenectady and Atlanta, the final WTT National Qualifying event of the 2006 season will be held in Irvine, Calif. (September 29-Oct. 1). The WTT National Finals will be held November 2-5 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif.
For more information on World TeamTennis or the WTT Recreational League, visit www.WTT.com or call 866-PLAY-WTT.
WTT Recreational League programs feature year-round leagues which use the unique coed team format created in the 1970s by Billie Jean King and Larry King. More than 435,000 tennis players of all levels compete in WTT Recreational Leagues in parks, schools, clubs and tennis facilities in more than 1,000 cities. The WTT format is a fun, fast-paced co-ed team format that encourages equal contributions from both genders. A team has a minimum of four players, two men and two women. The WTT format uses five or six no-ad sets: men’s and women’s doubles, men’s and women’s singles and one or two sets of mixed doubles.
The WTT format stands out in the tennis community with several innovative firsts for the sport including co-ed teams, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Overtime and Supertiebreakers and encourages fans to cheer and support their teams throughout the matches.
Advanta is the presenting sponsor of the WTT Recreational League and the official business credit card of World TeamTennis. Official WTT Recreational League sponsors also include Gatorade and Wilson Racquet Sports. For more information on WTT, visit www.WTT.com.
Media Contact: Rosie Crews – 817.684.0366