Things couldn't be closer ...

First things first: We lost our match vs. Duffy/Amoyal yesterday by the skins of our teeth, 2-3. Both singles matches won; all doubles matches lost. It all came down to #2 doubles ... who lost in the 3rd set tiebreak, 16-18. Yes, that's right--16-18. This leaves us with a 4-4 record after the first half and puts us in a free-for-all with 3 or 4 (or 5?) other teams who are all vying for a .500 record of 4-4 after the first round of play (all other teams besides us have a match to play this Wednesday, and a few have rainouts to make up as well, so I'm not sure where everyone stands at the halfway point quite yet). But before I get to the second round, here are the scores from yesterday:

1D) Jean & Wendy lost to Ann Chouinard & Stacy Hoffman, 6-4 6-2

2D) Emily & Laura lost to Jen Korzakowski and Janice Dent, 3-6 6-3 0-1 (16-18)

3D) Sue Lin & Jane lost to Karla Lee and Theresa Furnari 6-3 6-3

1S) Mary beat Pam Heckler 6-2 6-1

2S) Gayle beat Courtney Nichols 6-2 3-6 1-0 (10-8 ... after being down 8-4!)

So-- in all, it was a great effort yesterday. We basically have the same record as Duffy/Amoyal, except we are just a set or two and 5 games (I think!) behind them. We were very evenly matched.

And now, a few observations about the second half of the season, which starts next Saturday vs. Dorkman/Messersmith (at the bottom of the league) and continues on Sunday vs. Zylberberg (at the top of the league):

1) If you look at Tennislink (there is a link on the left side of the blog) you can see that we won and lost nearly all of our matches 2-3 or 3-2. Last year, we lost almost all of our matches 2-3, so I'm glad to see some of these matches tipping our way this year. We're winning those tiebreakers this year, which is key, so let's keep up with the focus and consistent play.

2) I am going to try to keep successful pairings together for doubles, and to play the successful singles players more consistently. Hopefully this will pull more of those 2-3 losses into 3-2 (or 4-1 or 5-0) wins.

3) I am very pleased with how everyone has been playing and I hope you've had as much fun out there as I have. The league is VERY close this year--lots of good teams playing a lot of good tennis. We are definitely in the thick of things, so let's keep up the intensity!

4) I will try to have lineups for the next few weeks out to you in a day or two.

--Jean

Wild win vs Dysart/Baker, 3-2

So you say you hate lobs? If you weren't playing tonight, then you're lucky. Thousands of lobs were lobbed during the course of this match, which we won by the skin of our teeth, 3-2. It was enough to give you an ulcer ... or put you to sleep. Here are the scores (note: all 3 doubles matches went to the 3rd set tiebreaker!!!):

1D) Laura & Trish beat Sue Basch and Connie Rogers, 4-6 7-6 (5) 1-0 (8)

2D) Kelly & Karen beat Paulette Barnett and Janice Lemoine in the marathon of the evening, 6-3 6-7 (6) 1-0 (1)

3D) Meghan & Donna had a gutwrenching loss to Joyce Matoska and Bonnie Thomas, 6-3 4-6 0-1 (8)

1S) Mary had the only breeze-through of the match, defeating Michelle Holliday 6-1 6-1

2S) Sara lost to Ellen Lichtman 3-6 3-6

What have we learned here? Well, for one, do not underestimate craftiness (and effective lobbing). A number of people on this team were bumped up to 3.5 after their 3.0 senior team (captained by Marcia Dysart) WON nationals last year. Another thing? It's always good to win, no matter how ugly ;-)

Next match vs. Duffy/Amoyal (a team much more like us) this Saturday, 9 am at Bryn Mawr. Hopefully weather will cooperate. If you are playing, try to get there by 8:30 for warmup, and let's go for the W against a team we've been trading places with in the rankings all season long. This is the last match of our first round; if we win, we'll come out of the first half of the season with a very good 5-3 record. If not, we'll have a very respectable 4-4 record. We've now won twice as many matches as we did all of last season, so pat yourselves on the back!

PS: For those of you keeping track of these things, McMillan BEAT Zylberberg tonight (check Tennislink for the amazing scores). How the mighty have fallen!!!

Tough losses vs Levy

The story of last night's match was: failure to convert. We came close to winning two of the matches, but lost them in the 3rd set tiebreaker. That said, we were unable to complete the match due to the fact that Mary took nearly 2 hours to complete her FIRST SET-- but we have lost all 4 of the other matches so it's going to be a team loss regardless of what happens. Here are the scores:

1D: Jean & Katharine went to deuce in nearly every game of what ended up being an oddly scored but very close match vs. Beth Bolton & Laura June, 6-2, 0-6, 0-1 (3-10). 

2D: Karen and Laura played first-time USTA players (read: ringers) Anne Blue and Sharon Tennyson, putting up a spirited fight but losing 3-6, 4-6

3D: In the other heartbreaker, Donna and Joy lost in the 3rd set tiebreaker to Linda Dauses and Connie Bird, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 0-1 (0-10).

1S: Mary's match vs. Anna Qualls was tiring to watch--some rallies went on for minutes--she prevailed in the first set 7-6 (7-4) and will finish the match (hopefully with a W!) on June 5.

2S: Meghan lost to the relentless Mary Jane Facciolo, 6-0, 6-2.

Although we lost all four of the matches we completed last night, I felt really good about this one. Levy is currently the first-place team, and in the past two years we have not done well against them. The fact that we were/are competitive in 4 of the 5 matches is a very good sign that we can BEAT them next time out :-). It really could have gone either way-- as I said, we just failed to convert some key games & key points.

After the match, Sue Lin, Donna, and Joy expressed interest in having practice this weekend. Weather looks good, so let's do it. E-mail me if you plan to come, and I'll plan to see you at 9 am. We have no match this weekend so this will be a good chance for us to play some scrimmages and work on strategy. 

Doubles defeat McMillan, 3-2

Today the doubles teams swept McMillan 3-0, making up for two tough singles losses. I believe this is the first time all the doubles teams have won this season--a good milestone.

1D) Emily & Wendy had little problem handling Ivy Dench-Carter and Kim Caspari, 6-2 6-1

2D) Kelly and Karen pulled out the V in a close match against Meg McLean and Katrina Bland, 6-3 6-4

3D) Cecile and Sue Lin won by default vs. Elaine Parker and Dorothy France-Davis (who arrived 18 min. late), but ended up also winning their practice match against them, 6-1 7-5, so I think they deserve kudos as well :-)

1S) Sara was beaten by the very tough Jemine Bryon, 6-1 6-0

2S) Katharine lost to a current college player, Frances Ferdinand (yes, that's her name), 6-4 6-2

This win puts us over .500 and in 4th place. We've got a really tough match this Wednesday vs. Levy, a perennial favorite in the league, so if you are playing that match, come ready and focused!

Just one shy--we lose to Schlerf, 2-3

As predicted, Schlerf brought out a good team that was able to just edge us, 2-3:

1D: Emily & Laura, playing for the first time together, were unfortunate to face a team that has played (very well) together for years, Joan Garlow & Beth Nguyen, losing 6-1 6-3

2D: Jean & Katharine defeated Rebecca Hyman and Barb McClanahan, 6-2 6-3. Rebecca strained her calf during the first set, which made things easier, but hey, we'll take what we can get! :-)

3D: Trish & Cecile lost to Amy Gemmill and Sara Turk, 6-4 6-1

1S: Gayle prevailed, in her usual style (i.e., through dogged patience! :-)) vs Elizabeth Lee, 5-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-8)

2S: Donna, subbing at the last minute for Mary (whose son broke his foot on the volleyball court an hour before our match), made a heroic effort and played well, but could not get the edge on Carolyn Norris, losing 6-2 6-2

Right now it looks like we are basically on par with Smith (whom we beat last match) and Schlerf (whom Smith defeated) in the middle of the pack. A note: thus far we have won as many team matches as we did all of last season (2) so things can only go up from here! I think everyone is playing well and it's nice to have some established singles players and doubles pairs to draw from. 

Due to the forecast for rain on Sunday, we will not have practice. Do let me know, however, if you'd like to have a practice on Memorial Day weekend. State your preference for Saturday or Sunday ... either day, let's say we'll start at 9 am.

A Very Good W vs Smith, 3-2

Well, today we had to improvise, having only 8 players who could play ... and managed to do what we seemed unable to do last year: win tiebreakers! We won 2 of our matches today in the 3rd set tiebreaker. Here are the scores:

1D) Jean & Wendy defeated Jean McCleary & Robin Bosley in a close contest, 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)

2D) Sue Lin & Cecile lost to Sandy Demski and Patti Leland in a match closer than the score indicates, 1-6 2-6

3D) Kelly & Joy defeated Pat Amato and Donna Bertling 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)

1S) Donna won a match of patience and attrition, defeating Cathy Weaver 6-4, 6-1

2S) Sara lost to Peg Mignini 1-6 1-6

Great playing, everyone! This is a great win against a good team. Hopefully this is a harbinger of our season! 

I will be sending lineups for the next few matches very shortly, once I figure out exactly who is playing (surprise surprise, there may be some changes). No practice tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day! 

Prayers answered

FYI-- In #2 singles vs. Zylberberg, Mary finished her match by winning the 3rd set tiebreaker, 10-6, so we got one of the 5 matches. Hooray, Mary!

BTW-- We need a last-minute sub for Jane for Saturday vs. Smith, 2-4 at Greenspring. Please let me know if you are available. Also, practice on Sunday looks dubious due to lots of mothers being (rightfully) celebrated, anniversaries, people being out of town, etc. Will send an e-mail tomorrow confirming one way or another.

Hail Mary--

Not to get all Catholic on you (I do teach at Loyola, after all) but Mary is our only hope for avoiding the bagel against Zylberberg. They brought out their best players today, and while our singles players did/are doing really well, the doubles teams, esp. #2 & #3, got ... I hate to use the word, but ... the word is, KILLED. Scores thus far:

#1D: Laura & Wendy did not get killed, but were beaten by Kristen Burger & Cam Deline, 6-3, 6-2

#2D: Donna & Katharine lost to Karen Cigrang & Key Wagner, 6-1 6-1

#3D: Jean & Joy lost to Mary Carter and Heather Kuchta, 6-1 6-0

#1S: Gayle lost in the 3rd set tiebreaker to Karen Regan, 1-6, 6-4, 0-1 (3-10). 

#2S: Mary has split sets with Lauren Hurlbrink, 6-2 4-6 -- had to stop play due to running out of court time and scheduled to finish tomorrow. Stay tuned!

I looked up these players in Tennislink and they are very good players for Zylberberg. I wish we had gotten more games, but take comfort in the obvious threat we posed for last year's league winners, since they brought out their best players. Good effort, everyone! And ... on the "constructive criticism" side, I think this loss shows us that we have things to work on, so I hope to see a lot of you at practice on Sunday. It looks to be nice, if chilly in the morning, so let's plan to start at 10 AM. As usual, let me know if you plan to come so that I can contact you if it rains (wait ... has it been raining lately? No way!).

Tough loss today, but send strong, winning thoughts Mary's way to propel her to the W. Every match matters! --Jean

Switches and schedules

See the sidebar for changes to Saturday's lineup against Smith. Here also is who should plan to play for the next 4 matches (I want to see what happens this week before finalizing lineups):

Wed 5/13 vs Schlerf, 8:30 @ Greenspring: another tough team. Jean, Gayle, Mary, Laura, Trish, Emily, Katharine, Joy

Sat. 5/16 vs McMillan, 11 am @ St. Tim's: Emily, Katharine, Sue Lin, Karen, Kelly, Cecile, Sara, Jane

Wed 5/20 vs Levy, 6 pm @ St. Tim's: Jean, Gayle, Mary, Laura, Katharine, Joy, Donna, Karen

Wed. 5/27 vs Dysart/Baker, 6:30 pm @ Greenspring: Mary, Laura, Trish, Joy, Karen, Kelly, Donna, Meghan

Our first match--a W!

Yes, we prevailed in our first match today vs. Dorkan/Messersmith, 3-2. This was a good first win for us. Here are the scores:

1D) Laura & Wendy defeated Ellen Schneider & Marion Meyers 6-2 6-2
2D) Kelly & Sue Lin lost a heartbreaker to Tina Turk & Gina Messersmith (I'm sure familiar names to many of you) in the 3rd set tiebreaker after winning the first set, 6-3 5-7 0-7 (6-10)
3D) Jane & Trish defeated Susan Valerino and Lauren Botti 6-4 6-3, in a match where they so far outclassed their opponents that it actually caused difficulties!
1S) Gayle handily defeated Trish Pollak (yes, she is the same Trish who played on our team last year), 6-0 6-1
2S) Meghan lost to a very steady pusher, Maria Jaewha Kim, 6-4 6-1.

This team is made up of a mixture of players, some of whom can barely get the serve over the net, others who are very experienced. It made for some very odd matchups and some odd situations. With the number of new teams in the league this year, this is something we'll need to watch out for-- a much wider range of ability at 3.5. I will try to keep you clued into what to expect with each match.

Wednesday (6 pm @ Roland Park) we play last year's league champion, Zylberberg. If you played today & are scheduled for Wednesday, expect a totally different ball game. I.e.: they will be very tough. However, if we play well, we can beat them (we lost to them 2-3 in our last match against them last year). Due to subs, I had to change the lineup around-- here is who is playing:

1D) Jean & Wendy
2D) Katharine & Donna
3D) Laura & Kelly
1S) Gayle
2S) Mary

Please try to be there by 5:30 so that we can have a good warmup. Hope to see a lot of you tomorrow! --Jean

rules

A few things: First, people playing on Saturday-- we are playing at Greenspring Racquet Club (at Joppa & Falls) NOT Greenspring Country Club. Please be there at 8:30-8:40.

Second-- attached are the local league rules. Please review them prior to playing your first match-- in particular, pages 4-10 which outline rules of play (including tiebreaker procedures), court conduct, late penalties, and changeover rules. Obviously, the point of the league is to have fun and so I don't want you to be unnecessarily doctrinaire about the rules, but there are players out there who will take advantage of people who don't understand the rules so it's best to familiarize yourself with them. If there is a question about any rule, please consult me or the acting captain if I am not at the match. The most important thing is, DON'T BE LATE.     

The second most important thing to remember is, in the case you split sets, we will be deciding the match using a 3rd-set (or "match") tie-break, rather than playing a full third set. This tie-break will be played the same way as a set tie-break except that you play first to 10, win by 2 (a set tie-break is first to 7, win by 2). Please make note of the Coman side-changing procedure in the rules (p. 5). I strongly suggest that you print a copy of the rules and have it with you so that you can consult them on court. In addition to these rules, there are the general USTA rules (contained in their book, "Friend at Court").

Third-- I know we haven't played our first match yet but I am putting together lineups for the next few. Please send me your schedule conflicts as they arise. We've already needed to get a lot of subs for the first three matches and I would like to avoid having to rearrange every single match. So, (hint, hint, hint) please keep me informed of your schedules so that I don't schedule you for a match you cannot play. 

Fourth-- Don't forget about paying your team fees ($63). I can get them at the first match you play, or at practice, or by mail. Make checks out to me; mail to 1203 Bolton St. Baltimore 21217. My bank account thanks you! 

Fifth-- It looks like we may get rained out for practice on Sunday. I'll try to send an e-mail by 8:30 to confirm one way or another & will also call those who have said they were planning to come.  

OK, enough for now. See y'all tomorrow bright & early! Jean