USTA Nebraska women’s team battles from behind to qualify for nationals

After a tough first day at the USTA Missouri Valley League Section Championships in St. Louis on Aug. 2-4, the 18 & Over women’s 4.5 team captained by Julie Obear and Lisa Smith never lost faith, even after the team lost its first two matches.

“Even though we went into day two without a win, all of our matches were close,” Smith said. “So when we won our third match, we ended up being second in our pool because of the tiebreakers.”

The team then went on a winning spree with things coming down to the last match. The USTA Nebraska team ended up winning that match 3-2, with two of the matches going to third-set tiebreakers.

“We were all ecstatic to win,” Smith said. “We know how hard it is to win at sectionals and for most of us, it was our first time winning at the 4.5 level at sectionals. Everyone is excited to take their game to the national level and see how we compete.”

This team is blended with players from the Lincoln and Omaha areas, and players range in age from 19 to 58. Smith said it’s an easy team to captain because everyone is so talented, and each of them can play interchangeably with anyone else. There’s also a good number of ladies who will play singles matches, which can often be a challenge.

“It was hot, as always, so playing singles every match was difficult,” Smith said. “Although we did have one player who played five of the six singles matches and won them all. She was in beast mode.”

Looking back, Smith said what stood out the most was starting day two in last place and ending day three in first place with the win. The team also enjoyed playing in St. Louis instead of Oklahoma City, where they usually go for the League Section Championships.  

“I think one of the highlights for me was getting to spend more time together with my teammates,” Smith said. “This team is a first-year team, so many of us are new to each other. It was fun to get to know one another better.”

Their next stop is Surprise, Ariz., where they will play against the best 4.5 teams in the nation in November at the USTA League National Championships.