Collegiate Girls' Varsity Tennis Team Wins Two!

The Collegiate Varsity Girl's Tennis Team has brought the trophies back "home". After a two-year hiatus, the 2009 Girl's Varsity Tennis Team won the L.I.S. Championship Tournament 48-45, and continued on winning the VISAA State Championship 5-4, both over local rival St. Catherine's. This is Collegiate's 6th VISAA State Championship in eight years.

The final state match came down to #3 doubles, after splitting the matches 4-4. Collegiate lost #1, 3 and 5 singles ... but had dominating singles wins by #2 Connor Brewer and #4 Anne Paige "AP" Lansinger, and a come-from-behind, down 0-5, victory from #6 Frankie O'Neill.

After splitting #1 and 2 doubles, the last match on, the #3 doubles team of Hannah Carl and Frankie O'Neill prevailed, and after fighting off two match points, being down 7-9, 15-40 ... went on to win the deciding match 11-9.

The Team Mantra this season has been "We Believe", and they have certainly made believers out of all of us. Way to go COUGARS!

The Cougar Team consisted of
Seniors: Mollie Bisger, Tori Bos, Tri-Captain Anne Paige Lansinger, Tri-Captain Parke Whitley, Tri-Captain Bridgette Williams
Juniors: Erin Anderson, Meredith Armstrong, Hannah Carl, Amanda Johnson, Kate Maraghy, Virginia Parks
Sophomore: Emily Wright
Freshman: Connor Brewer, Frankie O'Neill
along with Head Coach Karin Whitt (L.I.S. Coach of the Year) and Assistant Coaches Sharon Johnson and Wes Atiyeh

What's the Call? November 2009

Question: Two players are playing in a tournament. These particular player are less than friends.

They are at 6-6 in the third set tiebreak.

The next point was a close call at player A's baseline. The call was out but not that audible.

Now, both thought they won the point and thought the score was 7-6 in their favor.

Strangely on the next point it was a close call on player B's baseline.

The call was signaled out, but not visible to the other player, making player A think he won the match.

Both players now thought they had won the match. Approached the net, shook hands and went to the tournament desk reporting the win.

As tournament director, what to do ...

Answer: This scenario raises a variety of issues under the Code, so let’s tackle them one at a time:

1. At 6-6, Player A called a ball out, but the call was “not that audible.” While the point belongs to Player A, he should be reminded that Code Section 15 provides that an opponent is entitled to prompt and audible or visible out calls, even on shots that are obviously out.

2. Whichever player served the next point apparently violated Code Section 31 by not announcing the score before serving. If players would follow this rule, it would eliminate virtually all scoring controversies and confusion.

3. The out call by player B on the next point again arguably violated Section 15 by not being visible to the opponent.

4. Because both players shook hands believing in good faith they had won the match, neither can be penalized for shaking hands and walking off the court, so the tournament director should have had the players confirm their calls on the preceding two points, and send the players back out to the court to complete the tiebreak from 7-7.

Got a question about the rules of tennis?
Think you've been "greased" by your opponent during a match and just can't sleep until the issue is resolved? Go ahead and submit your question to "What's the Call?" at eric@ericperkinslaw.com. Sample questions and answers will be posted monthly.

Short Pump completes unbeaten season to win league title

A Tennis Topics article by JOHN PACKETT, RTA Staff Writer

The Henrico/Hanover Middle School League doesn’t declare official champions but Short Pump left no doubt who the best girls’ tennis team was this season.

With an experienced squad that included 10 eighth-graders, Short Pump won all 10 of its matches to finish on top of the 2009 standings.

“There were six eighth-graders on the team this year that actually made the team my first year of coaching,” said Mary Ellen Lahy, who took over the Short Pump program in 2007.

“It was kind of a special year for me, too, to be undefeated. This was the first group that I started coaching, and to see them graduate and see how much they improved and how close they became and how much they worked together to make this an undefeated season was pretty special.”

Short Pump’s closest call came late in the season against Tuckahoe Middle and coach Martha Hodges, who was Lahy’s mentor in middle school before she continued on to a successful career at Douglas Freeman High School.

Without No. 1 singles player Caroline Mosberg (who was sick), the Pumas lost all four singles matches before rallying to claim five doubles victories in a 5-4 decision.

“The biggest reason we beat Tuckahoe was because we did have the depth,” said Lahy. “In doubles, our three, four and five were stronger than their bottom doubles players. So our depth was the difference in that match. Everyone seemed to step up and do their part to pull out the match.”

Short Pump’s team also included six seventh-graders and two sixth-graders.

“We had a lot of players improve from last year, players who were playing doubles that stepped up and played singles this year,” Lahy said. “Our No. 1 doubles team, Alexa Vignone and Emma Garrett, played all three years together.

“They were a powerhouse at No. 1 doubles. They had built up a strong camaraderie and were a great team together. It was great to see them progress. I don’t think they lost a match.

“Then I always counted on Caroline Mosberg to win at No. 1 [singles]. I figured we’d win at least another singles and then the doubles were pretty good this year.”

Short Pump beat Pocahontas, their biggest and closest rival, 6-3. Pocahontas had gone unbeaten last fall to capture the girls’ crown, knocking off Short Pump in a close match along the way.

“I think we were down a couple of players because of the swine flu thing,” said Lahy. “I think that influenced a lot of people’s seasons this year. Pocahontas was also missing a lot of players for that match. It made the whole season a challenge to work with.

“Pocahontas is always a big match for my girls. They’re always excited about it and look forward to it. A lot of them know the girls on that team. We usually play Pocahontas during our spirit week, so everybody is really pumped up.

“When we lost to them last year, it came down to one match and a tiebreaker, so it was nice to beat them this year.”

Pocahontas’ team was not nearly as experienced as Short Pump, which likely played a role in the outcome.

“We graduated our top four,” said Jane Evans, the Pocahontas coach. “All four were undefeated last year. Their top four were all eighth-graders and were extremely experienced. They have some very serious players on that team.”

Lahy will find herself in that position next fall, when she loses 10 of her players, most of whom will go on to Deep Run High School, which has challenged Mills Godwin for Central Region supremacy the past few years.

“It’s going to be very different for me, not to have the same players,” she said. “It could be a down year next year, but we really had a great year this year.”

Short Pump roster

Eighth-graders -- Caroline Mosberg, Abby Mainwaring, Abby Dawsone, Emma Garrett, Alexa Vignone, Maggie Noonan, Katie Leich, Jenna Zimmerman, Payal Shah, Hannah McMichael.

Seventh-graders -- Emily Sheppard, Claire Harper, Sarah Jorhde, Meredith Rose, Alyeena Khan, Maggie Gardner.

Sixth-graders -- Vibha Shekhar, Abby Randall.

Short Pump schedule (with result in parenthesis):

• Moody (7-2)
• Hungary Creek (9-0)
• Brookland (9-0)
• Oak Knoll (7-2)
• Liberty (8-1)
• Chickahominy (6-3)
• John Rolfe (9-0)
• Pocahontas (6-3)
• Tuckahoe (5-4)
• Byrd (9-0)

Tennis Awards Season in Richmond

In addition to the recently announced RTA Hall of Fame, other awards have been given out to some of Richmond's finest pros, players and patrons.

USTA/Virginia Tennis Association Awards:
Victor Rizzi of Richmond City Tennis was awarded the Virginia Teaching Professional of the Year. Rizzi is responsible for the upsurge in tennis in the Richmond school and City Parks this year.
The Fred Bruner Family is the Virginia Tennis Family of the Year. Fred Bruner and his family have been serious tennis volunteers for the Richmond City programs for many years. Fred is the past Richmond Tennis Association president.
Hugh Waters, III was awarded the prestigious Dick Green Service Award. This is rarely awarded and is for years of service to the greater Virginia tennis community. Waters is a USPTA Master Professional and has been a well-known tennis advocate for many years in Richmond, VA and the Mid-Atlantic. He is the current president of the Richmond Tennis Association.
The Association of Richmond Tennis Professionals was selected as the Community Outreach Organization of of the Year. The tennis professionals from this group host over twenty Richmond Junior Tournaments annually.

USTA/Mid-Atlantic Sectional Awards:
The Adult/Senior Tennis Tournament of the year was awarded to the USTA McDonald's Men's and Women's Open Clay Court $30,000 Championships. The tournament is held each year in July at Salisbury County Club. Bill Barnes is hte promoter of the event and Scott Steinor, Director of Tennis at the Salisbury CC, is the tournament director.
Cris Robinson received the 2009 Teaching Professional of the Year Award. Robinson is the Director of Tennis at Willow Oaks County Club. He is a leader in promoting and teaching the new USTA QuickStart program.
Tut Bartzen has been chosen as the Male Adult Sportsmanship Award winner. Bartzen is a tournament player from The County Club of Virginia.

RTA inducts Hall of Fame Recipients on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009

Saturday, October 24th, was an exciting evening at the Westwood Club when 150 guests celebrated the induction of 13 new members into the Richmond Tennis Hall of Fame. The Richmond Tennis Association (RTA) sponsored event had not been held since 1995 so this year's ceremony included individuals and organizations originally selected for 1997, as well as those for 2009. The energy and enthusiasm was evident as everyone traded memories of past as well as current playing days. All seemed thrilled to be celebrating the contributions the inductees had given to the tennis community through their leadership, commitment and playing success.
 


The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour and silent auction. Dinner was next and then the ceremony began. Bill Correll started things off by recognizing the 13 previous inductees from 1990 and 1995. Lou Einwick, a Hall of Fame member, followed with introductions for the Class of 1997. Bill Correll and Lou Einwick then shared the duties of introducing the Class of 2009. A quick look around the room witnessed nodding heads, huge smiles and expressions of fond memories as each inductee's bio was related.
 


The class of 1997 included Jerry Depew, Frank Maloney III, Massie Valentine, and Home Beneficial Life Insurance.

The Class of 2009 Included Tom Cain, Kathleen Cummings, Rodney Harmon, Wade McGuire, John Packett, Mark Vines, Hugh Waters, Davenport and Co., and the Westwood Club.
 


The guests remained enthusiastic throughout the evening and included representatives from the Virginia Tennis Association, Middle Atlantic Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association. The crowd was reluctant to leave but eventually the evening had to come to an end. By final tally, the event surprisingly raised over $2000.00 for the RTA to use in funding various tennis programs around the Richmond area.

Click on photo to see more photos from the event.


Front row, left to right: John DePew (holding picture of his dad, Jerry, 1997 inductee), Hugh Waters, Kathleen Cummings, Mark Vines

Back row, left to right: Wade McGuire, Rodney Harmon, John Packett, Tom Cain, E. Massie Valentine, Coleman Wortham (Davenport & Co. representative), Bill French (Westwood club representative).

Not pictured: Virginia Maloney, who accepted on behalf of her late husband, Frank Maloney, III.