Third Place Nationals Finish For New England 55 & Over League Team

WESTBOROUGH, MA- New England notched its fourth top-four finish of the fall USTA League Nationals season, as Cate Arkins’ 55 & Over 8.0 Women’s team took home third place during the third weekend of Nationals. New England sent eight teams to Nationals from October 19-21 in Arlington, TX, Las Vegas, NV and Orlando, FL. Arkins’ team plays out Bass River Tennis Club in Beverly, MA and competed in Orlando. 

“We are all really happy and proud with our result. It was a fantastic finish, but I think I can speak for everyone when I say we are not 100 percent satisfied,” Arkins said. 

Bass River dominated during the first four unflighted matches, picking up wins against teams from Florida, California, Hawaii and Caribbean. They finished with a 4-0 record and an 11-1 individual match record, only dropping a position to Florida. Arkins’ team ended in second place after the first two days and managed the fewest games lost out of the field.  

Earning a trip to the semifinals, Bass River matched up against Midwest. It was a battle the New England team was more than capable of winning, however the breaks favored Midwest on that day. New England lost 3-0 with scores of 6-7, 1-6; 3-6, 6-4, 0-1; and 6-7, 6-4, 0-1. 

Midwest went on to win the championship by defeating a team from the Southern Section. 

New England recovered and took down Northern to capture third place. 

“Our confidence level going into Sunday morning was very high with the way we had been playing. This team was so strong and determined and we believed we were going to win it all. We just came up against a team that had a better day than us,” Arkins said. “When we lost that match we refocused and made a team effort to grab the third place spot. Players made adjustments based on some feedback from their teammates and their own insights.”

Arkins added of the weekend, “These weekends are always special because you are building upon friendships forged on the tennis courts. So the weekend was full of moments, humorous ones, supportive ones, grateful ones and fiercely competitive ones. We all go home with many memories and are determined to make more at future Nationals.”

At the Women’s 40 & Over 4.5+ Nationals in Las Vegas, Maureen Sumner led her team from Longfellow Tennis Club in Natick, MA to a fifth-place finish. The team went 3-1 (12-8) and missed out on advancing to the semifinals by a single position. Just ahead of them was Texas, which finished 13-7 in positions score.  

The other New England teams that competed were: 

The Women’s 55 & Over 6.0 team from Farmington Valley Racquet Club in Simsbury, CT, captained by Linda Graydon, finished in 9th place. The team went 2-2 overall and 6-6 in positions. 

The Men’s 55 & Over 8.0 took home 11th place. Angelo DiSpirito captained his team from Pond View Racquet Club in Westerly, RI to a1-3 (5-7) mark. 

The Men’s 40 & Over 4.5+ came in 12th place. Richard Anthony’s team from Lakeville Athletic Club in Lakeville, MA, went 1-3 and 8-12 in positions. 

The Men’s 40 & Over 3.5 out of The Harvard Tennis Center in Boston, MA, was captained by Lee Yee. The team went 0-4 and 4-16 and came in 15th place. 

Ronnie Doherty captained the Women’s 40 & Over 3.5 team out of the Browne Billone Club in Easton, MA. The team went 1-3 and 6-16, which earned them 16th place.  

League Nationals continue from October 26-28 with Adult 40 & Over 3.0 action in Mobile, AL, Adult 40 & Over 4.0 play from Las Vegas and the Adult 55 & Over 7.0s and 9.0s at the USTA National Campus in Orlando. 

Click here for the 2018 Nationals schedule.