USTA Nebraska 18 & Over 4.5 women’s team shares their experience at nationals

Thirteen teams from around the country competed in the Women’s 18 & Over 4.5 USTA League National Championship tournament on Nov. 8-10 in Surprise, Ariz. USTA Nebraska’s Smith/Obear team represented USTA Missouri Valley and ended up in ninth place with a 1-3 record during the tournament.

Something that stuck out to captain Lisa Smith was seeing a lot of younger players on opposing teams since they were in the 18 & Over division, but in Nebraska they tend to see the same players across all divisions. They were glad to come away with one win at the highest level.

“I’ll always remember how proud everyone was when we won a match!” Smith said. “Even those who didn’t win their court were happy for the team. It reinforced the team aspect of USTA League tennis and how it’s about the collective and not individual players.”

Michelle Lisec-Talarico said she remembers cars flooding into the parking lot at 6:45 in the morning to grab a court to warm up since they were only allowed five minutes of warmups before the matches.

“The competition was solid, but not out of our reach,” Lisec-Talarico said. “The work we were able to do as a team prior to the tournament and outside of league play was really helpful to our play and how we could adjust accordingly. Great memories with new and old friends and one of the reasons tennis is a fabulous lifetime sport!”

“I hope every USTA player gets a chance to compete at that level,” Smith added. “It’s such a wonderful experience, both on and off the court. Yes, it’s the toughest competition you’ll see, but it makes you realize what you need to work on to be able to compete at the highest levels. You come home with a long list of things to improve!”

For a story about Lisa Smith and Julie Obear’s team qualifying for nationals, click here. To follow along with results from the USTA League National Championships, click here.