USTA Missouri Teams at Section Championships

The 2021 USTA Missouri Valley League Section Championships continue to take place this month, with multiple USTA Missouri teams producing strong showings at host sites around the region.

Tracy Nicholas’s 55 & Over 8.0 team had a standout performance, as the squad advanced to the semifinals after winning their opening three matches and finishing atop their pool. The team dropped a tight match in the semis to the team from USTA Heart of America August 22.

Leslie Echols — USTA Missouri adult league coordinator — participated in Section Championships for the first time as part of Tricia Denzer’s 3.5 18 & Over team. The squad fell to a USTA St. Louis team in their quarterfinal pairing in Oklahoma City.

“It was really, really nice to just play good tennis,” Echols said. “It’s just great to at least get to the quarterfinals and play really good players. That was probably the best part of the experience.”

Debbie Cunningham’s 65 & Over 8.0 team played some competitive tennis in their pool in late July in Kansas City but didn’t advance. Cunningham said after her team disbanded in 2019, she and the USTA put in the work to reinvent a new team that earned a trip to Section Championships. 

“Our eight mostly strangers came together for the love of tennis,” Cunningham said. “Yes, I could have said ‘There is always next year.’ After surviving breast cancer and bilateral knee replacements, it was tennis that kept me moving. I personally can’t say ‘There’s always next year.’ Even though we finished in last place, I had some personal bests on the court. And I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”

Ann Vogel’s 55 & Over 7.0 team battled the heat and collected a team win in pool play. Her 65 & Over 7.0 team, meanwhile, snagged two team victories to finish second in their grouping. The squad proceeded to drop a 2-1 decision to a USTA Kansas team in quarterfinal action.

Lori Hunt said she and her 18 & Over 3.0 team “had fun and we were very proud to represent Springfield.” Hunt’s team was the first-ever 18 & Over 3.0 squad to advance to Section Championships out of Springfield. No. 1 singles player Kelly Hayes went undefeated (5-0) and claimed the 2021 sportsmanship award. Co-captain Jo Sargent helped lead the team to a fifth-place finish in their pool in St. Louis.

Still to compete from the USTA Missouri District is Leslie Bray’s 3.5-level 40 & Over Springfield-based team and Kim Kilgore’s 4.0 40 & Over Joplin-based team. Both squads will play their Section Championship matches on August 26-29.

Mixed doubles is coming up, too, with an 18 & Over 7.0 and 8.0 team advancing to play in Omaha in a couple weeks. At the end of September, the USTA Missouri will send a 40 & Over 7.0 mixed doubles squad to Section Championships.

Finally, a one-day event at the Cooper Tennis Complex on September 18 will determine which men’s and women’s team earns a trip to Kansas City for the Tri-level Section Invitational in mid-October.  For more information about event, click here. 

To see results from all USTA Missouri Valley Section Championships, click here.