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Hersh Pise of the Texas Section is undefeated in singles play.
© Andrew Ong
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By Melissa Krueger, Special to USTA.com
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Mid-Atlantic men have punched the first ticket to the 2012 USTA League 4.5 Adult National Championships semifinals with their 5-0 win over the men from the Northern section.
The men from Roanoke, Va., easily defeated the team from Bloomington, Minn., as all matches were decided in straight sets. (The No. 2 singles match was forfeited by Northern before the start.)
This is the first trip to Nationals for this Mid-Atlantic team, which has been playing together for two years now. Captain Alan Bartley credits the team's success at Nationals to the closeness of the team, a trait that even their competition recognizes.
"One of (an opponent's) comments was that they could tell how close this team was after just playing us," Bartley said. "They could tell everybody was really on the same page together."
He elaborated by saying that the members hang out together off the court as well, and they don't typically compete against each other, saying, "Nobody worries if he's playing or not playing."
Mid-Atlantic teammate Jeff Moyer agrees with Bartley's sentiment.
"I think it's no doubt that every player on this team likes each other," he said. "We enjoy spending time with each other.
"So that makes practices fun, makes camaraderie fun, and I think it makes us gel as a team."
The team, which is 3-0 this weekend, has solidified wins with help from singles player Nick Barker, who is undefeated in his matches. All of his matches have been straight-set victories.
Also going to the semifinals on Sunday are the men from the Texas section, who completed a sweep of Hawaii, 5-0. Singles player Hersh Pise won the final match of the sweep, beating Hawaii's Jeffrey Grimmer, 6-3, 7-6. Pise is unbeaten (3-0) in singles play.
As flight play winds down on Day 2, more teams will learn their fate for Sunday's semifinal matches.
Deciding matches for various flights will continue as the day comes to a close. Please check back for updates throughout the day.
4.5 Women’s Standings
Flight 1
Midwest (Cleveland, Ohio) (2-0)
Caribbean (San Juan, P.R.) (1-2)
Hawaii (Maui, Hawaii) (0-3)
Northern California (Sacramento, Calif.) (1-1)
Southern California (Laguna Hills, Calif.) (3-0)
Flight 2
Texas (Houston, Texas) (2-0)
Southwest (El Paso, Texas) (0-2)
Florida (Tampa Bay, Fla.) (0-2)
Eastern (New York City) (2-0)
Flight 3
Missouri Valley (St. Louis, Mo.) (1-1)
New England (Natick, Mass.) (2-0)
Pacific Northwest (Bremerton, Wash.) (0-2)
Southern (Hilton Head, S.C.) (1-1)
Flight 4
Middle States (Doylestown, Pa.) (2-0)
Mid-Atlantic (Montgomery County, Md.) (1-1)
Intermountain (Colorado Spring, Colo.) (0-2)
Northern (St. Louis Park, Minn.) (1-1)
4.5 Men’s Standings
Flight 5
Midwest (Winona Lake, Ind.) (2-0)
New England (Falmouth, Maine) (1-2)
Middle States (Philadelphia) (1-2)
Southwest (Phoenix) (3-0)
Missouri Valley (Kansas City) (0-3)
Flight 6
Mid-Atlantic (Roanoke, Va.) (3-0)
Caribbean (San Juan, P.R.) (0-2)
Northern (Bloomington, Minn.) (1-2)
Intermountain (Salt Lake City) (1-1)
Flight 7
Florida (Orlando, Fla.) (1-2)
Eastern (Bogota, N.J.) (2-1)
Texas (Houston, Texas) (3-0)
Hawaii (Kailua, Hawaii) (0-3)
Flight 8
Pacific Northwest (Mill Creek, Wash.) (1-1)
Northern California (Walnut Creek, Calif.) (0-2)
Southern (Louisville, Ky.) (1-1)
Southern California (Los Angeles) (2-0)