California, Florida, Missouri and New York teams win championships at WTT Rec League National Finals

Indian Wells, Calif. (November 6, 2006) – Teams from California, Florida, Missouri and New York captured national championships at the World TeamTennis Rec League National Finals this weekend at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif.

Forty-eight recreational and corporate tennis teams representing 19 states battled during the 3-day event for titles in ten divisions: 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, Senior 3.5, Senior 4.0, Corporate 3.5, Corporate 4.0, Corporate 4.5 and Open. Teams advanced to the national finals by either qualifying from their respective division in six WTT Rec League national qualifying tournaments or by winning their local Corporate League. The weekend kicked off with a clinic hosted by WTT co-founder Billie Jean King.

All matches used the WTT format, 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.

Teams from California and Florida dominated the competition, winning eight of the 10 titles. California teams captured wins in the 3.0, 4.5, Senior 3.5 and Open Divisions. Florida was on top in the 4.0 and swept the corporate division with wins in Corporate 3.5, Corporate 4.0 and Corporate 4.5.

New York and Missouri broke up the California-Florida juggernaut with victories in the 3.5 and Senior 4.0 Divisions.

3.0 DIVISION: Braemar, led by captain Cindy Gruberger of Encino, Calif., won their first WTT Rec League National Title with a 31-17 win over Southside Slammers I, captained by Ed O’Campo of Virginia Beach, Va. Braemar advanced to the finals with a 4-0 round robin record in the qualifying rounds, while the Southside Slammers I won posted a 3-1 record.

3.5 DIVISION: In the 3.5 Division, Plash defended their title and captured the division championship for the second consecutive year. Captain Richard Gonyea of Troy, N.Y., led Plash to a perfect 5-0 round robin record. Joining Gonyea on the championship team were Sean Craft of Cohoes, N.Y.; Laura Brendese of Wynantskill, N.Y., and Jen Hahn of Glenmont, N.Y.

4.0 DIVISION: Game-Set-Match of Key Biscayne, Fla., was too much for Roadrunners of Albuquerque, N.M., in the 4.0 Division Championship Final. But just barely. Team captain Juan Zubillaga led his Game-Set-Match teammates to a narrow 31-30 win over the Roadrunners, captained by Romela Carman of Albuquerque, N.M. Both teams advanced to the finals with a 3-1 record in the round robin qualifying rounds. It’s the first national championship for Game-Set-Match.

4.5 DIVISION: It was an all-San Diego showdown for the 4.5 Division crown as the San Diego Roamers topped the Tornado’s, 33-20, in the finals for their first national championship. Led by captain Rick Beltran, the Roamers posted a 4-0 round robin record to advance to the finals. Captain Mary Gunset helped the Tornado’s to a 3-1 round robin mark, with their only qualifying loss to the Roamers, 28-23.

SENIOR 3.5 DIVISION: Although Young at Heart was undefeated coming into the finals of the Senior 3.5 Division, it was Good Vibrations, led by captain Karen Kushisaki of Downey, Calif., that rallied to walk away with the title. After dropping a qualifying match to Young At Heart 30-28 on Friday, Good Vibrations regrouped to win when it really mattered with a 33-26 win in the finals. This is the first national championship for Good Vibrations.

SENIOR 4.0 DIVISION: Missouri’s Young at Heart topped the Senior 4.0 division after finishing as the runner-up one year ago. Led by captain Steve Robertson of Kirkwood, Mo., Young at Heart edged out the California team Braemar Fabulous Fifties, 30-26, in the finals. The Young at Heart lineup also includes Susan Sorensen of Austin, Texas; Michael Smith of St. Louis; Cynthia Harrison of Ballwin, Mo.; Liz Gordon of Chesterfield, Mo.; Debbie Hogan of Eureka, Mo.; and Jeff Brucks of Kirkwood, Mo.

CORPORATE 3.5: When they get back to the office this week, the team from NoWaitFreight Logistics of Boca Raton, Fla., will have a national championship title to share with their co-workers. NoWaitFreight was undefeated in qualifying with a 3-0 and easily outdistanced GE Energy, 31-19, in the championship final. It’s the first national title for captain Rami Mayron of Boca Raton and his teammates.

CORPORATE 4.0: It took overtime to determine the winner of the Corp 4.0 division which ended with Sports Explorer winning the designated mixed doubles to force the match into overtime. The Sports Explorer of Los Angeles won the first game of overtime but US Southcom, led by captain Siriporn Burke of Miami, Fla., won the next game to capture the title, 28-26.

CORPORATE 4.5: Miami’s Smith Barney topped the field in the Corporate 4.5 Division with a 4-0 qualifying record and a 35-27 win in the title match over Boston Scientific. Leading the way for Smith Barney was team captain Andi Steinacker of Miami, along with teammates Rita Zubillaga of Key Biscayne, Fla.; Marcelo Borrelli of Coral Gables, Fla.; and Donna Kass, Robert Hopson and Bill Cleveland, all of Miami.

OPEN DIVISION: The San Francisco Tennis Club (SFTC) took home the Open Division title with a 26-23 win over the Sherwood Country Club of Thousand Oaks, Calif. SFTC won all three of their qualifying matches to advance to the semifinals where they defeated Goldman Sachs of New York, N.Y., 31-20. Sherwood topped the Tucson Racquet Club of Tucson, Ariz., 27-24 in the other semifinal match. SFTC was led by captain Alisa Yee of San Francisco.

WTT Recreational League: 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 490,000 tennis players of all levels compete in WTT Recreational Leagues in parks, schools, clubs and tennis facilities in more than 1,000 cities.

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 Bälle de Mätch, Gatorade and Wilson Racquet Sports. For more information on World TeamTennis or the WTT Recreational League, visit www.WTT.com or call 866-PLAY-WTT.

Championship Results - 2006 World TeamTennis Rec League National Finals presented by Advanta Nov. 3-5 – Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif.

3.0 DIVISION: Braemar (Encino, Calif.) def Southside Slammers I (Virginia Beach, Va.), 31-17 Champion 3.0 - Braemar (c) Cindy Gruberger, Encino, Calif. ; Robert Clark, Northridge, Calif.; Al Kornblatt, Los Angeles ; Keith Krantz, Calabasas, Calif. ;Jack Amiel, Tarzana, Calif. ; Joanah Greenspan, Tarzana, Calif.; Sue Krantz, Calabasas, Calif.

Runner-up 3.0: Southside Slammers 1
(c) Ed O’Campo (non-playing captain from Virginia Beach, Va.) ; Fernando Perez, Virginia Beach, Va. ; Pat Tapia, Virginia Beach, Va. ; Linda Cedo, Virginia Beach , Va.; Judy Bailey, Virginia Beach, Va.

3.5 DIVISION: Plash (Troy, N.Y.) wins with a 5-0 record
Champion 3.5: Plash
(c) Richard Gonyea, Troy, N.Y.; Sean Craft, Cohoes, N.Y.; Laura Brendese, Wynantskill, N.Y.; Jen Hahn, Glenmont, N.Y.

Runner-up 3.5: Ng's Tennis Nutts
(c) Jeff Ng, Anne Kellogg, Mindy Curnutt , Carey Reno, Anthony Ng , Ivan Friedmutter, and Susan Parris- Gogel; all of Las Vegas, Nev.

4.0 DIVISION: Game-Set-Match (Key Biscayne, Fla.) def. Roadrunners (Albuquerque, N.M.), 31-30 Champion 4.0: Game-Set-Match
(c) Juan Zubillaga, Key Biscayne, Fla.; Karina Arraya, Key Biscayne, Fla.; Anne Mary Lopez, Miami, Fla.; Jose Zea, Key Biscayne, Fla.

Runner-up 4.0:Roadrunners (c) Romela Carman, Jonathan Trujillo , Gabriel Rodriguez , Ann Baca , Kevin Barthel and Javier Gonzales; all of Albuquerque, N.M.

4.5 DIVISION: San Diego Roamers (San Diego, Calif.) def. Tornado’s (San Diego, Calif.), 33-20
Champion 4.5: San Diego Roamers
(c) Rick Beltran, San Diego, Calif. ; Jay Damasco, Temecula, Calif. ; Jeff Ford, La Mesa, Calif. ; Wayne Eddington, Santee, Calif. ; Scott Dahl, San Diego, Calif. ; Cara Abe, San Diego, Calif. ; Janet Podney, San Diego, Calif.; Hillary Park, La Mesa, Calif. ; Lori Baran, San Diego, Calif.

Runner-up 4.5: Tornado's
(c) Mary Gunset, M.A. Hillier, Stepanka Hastings , Dave Gill , Doug Ronney , Phil Heshmaty , all of San Diego, Calif.

SENIOR 3.5 DIVISION: Good Vibrations (Downey, Calif.) def. Young at Heart (Las Vegas, Nev.), 33-26
Senior 3.5 Champion: Good Vibrations
(c) Karen Kushisaki, Downey, Calif.; Connie Davis-Young, Long Beach, Calif.; Jane Mitamura, Los Alamitos, Calif.; Diane Baer, Cypress, Calif.; Ed Klopfenstein, Anaheim, Calif.; Ed Barker, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Jerry Smith, Long Beach, Calif.; Ron Lee, Long Beach, Calif. Runner-up Senior 3.5: Young at Heart (c) Don Curnutt, Vivian Bullard, Cherry Marshall, Minette Curnutt, all of Las Vegas; and Al Aubry, Henderson, Nev.

SENIOR 4.0 DIVISION: Young at Heart (Kirkwood, Mo.) def. Braemar Fabulous Fifties (Tarzana, Calif.), 30-26
Senior 4.0 Champion: Young at Heart
(c) Steve Robertson, Kirkwood, Mo.; Susan Sorensen, Austin, Texas; Michael Smith, St. Louis, Mo.; Cynthia Harrison, Ballwin, Mo.; Liz Gordon, Chesterfield, Mo.; Debbie Hogan, Eureka, Mo.; Jeff Brucks, Kirkwood, Mo.
Senior 4.0 Runner-up: Braemar Fabulous Fifties
(c) Tom Anderson, Tarzana, Calif. ; Steve Albrezzi, Sherman Oaks, Calif.; Heidi Broecking, Studio City, Calif.; Tina Clarfield, Encino, Calif. ; Dave Holt, Bell Canyon, Calif.; Pat Holt, Bell Canyon, Calif. ; Gary Goldberger, Encino, Calif.

CORPORATE 3.5: NoWaitFreight (Boca Raton, Fla.) def. GE Energy (Delanson, N.Y.), 31-19
Corporate 3.5 Champion: NoWaitFreight Logistics (c) Rami Mayron, Mark Ch eadle, Orly Mayron , and Ann Bent, all of Boca Raton, Fla.; Amy Fletcher, Parkland, Fla., Orlando Pena, Doral, Fla.

Corporate 3.5 Runner-up: GE Energy (c) George Schlottner, Delanson, N.Y.; Don Pickett Cobleskill, N.Y.; Tom Gadomski, Clifton Park, N.Y.; Elizabeth Piechowicz, Niskayuna, N.Y.; Katarzyna Piechowicz, Niskayuna, N.Y.; Mariusz Piechowicz Niskayuna, N.Y.; Mike McGovern, Valatie, N.Y.; Deborah Lee, Niskayuna, N.Y.

CORPORATE 4.0 DIVISION: US Southcom (Miami, Fla.) def. Sports Explorer (Los Angeles, Calif.), 28-26
Corporate 4.0 Champion: US Southcom
(c) Siriporn Burke, Miami, Fla.; Juan Holguin, Miami, Fla. ; Marco Broccolo, Key Biscayne, Fla. ; Sara Cleveland, Miami, Fla.

Corporate 4.0 Runner-up: Sports Explorer (c) Lisa Thomas, Los Angeles; Gianni North, Inglewood, Calif.; Sherman Dickinson, Downey, Calif.; Peter Underwood, Pasadena, Calif.; Marquis Davis, Los Angeles

CORPORATE 4.5: Smith Barney (Miami, Fla.) wins with a 4-0 record
Corporate 4.5 Champion - Smith Barney (c) Andi Steinacker, Miami, Fla.; Robert Hopson, Miami, Fla. ; Rita Zubillaga, Key Biscayne, Fla.; Marcelo Borrelli, Coral Gables, Fla. ; Donna Kass, Miami, Fla. ; Bill Cleveland, Miami, Fla.

Corporate 4.5 Runner-up: Boston Scientific
(c) Mathan Krishnappan, Minnea polis; John Leehy, Falcon Heights, Minn. ; Eric Mokelke, White Bear Lake, Minn.; Amy Lamparske, Minneapolis, Minn. ; Cammie Wadman-Day, Ham Lake, Minn.

OPEN DIVISION: San Francisco Tennis Club (San Francisco, Calif.) def. Sherwood Country Club (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 26-23

Open Division Champion: San Francisco Tennis Club
(c) Alisa Yee, San Francisco, Calif. ; Barry Seeman, San Francisco, Calif. ; Anil Sippy, San Francisco, Calif. ; Nicholas Gentin, San Francisco, Calif. ; Eric Neuman, Hayward, Calif. ; Erin Kamemoto, San Francisco, Calif. ; Tim Ehlers, Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Kelly Lynch, San Francisco, Calif.

Open Division Runner-up: Sherwood Country Club (c) Jeff Richards, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Andrew Stanley, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Philippe Rodrigue, Studio City, Calif.; Kim Kinberg, Newbury Park, Calif.; Ann Stanley, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Brittany Bierman, Northridge, Calif.