(Left to right: Chris Celechovsky, Jeff Loehr, Martin Krbec, Dietz Fry, Stephen Nolen, Bryan Knepper, Jerad Harbaugh, Carey Hodges, Chris Jenkins. Not pictured: John Hereford, Hayden Sabatka)
By Noreen Javadi, special to USTA.com
INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. – It was an exciting weekend for the Southern section women’s team and the Intermountain section men’s team, as they prevailed at the USTA Adult 18 & Over 5.0 League National Championships held at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
The Intermountain men’s team, based at the Washington Park Tennis Club in Denver, Colo., began the day by defeating the Pacific Northwest team from Bellevue, Wash., 2-1, in the semifinals.
That earned Intermountain men a trip to the final, where it faced off in the 5.0 championship match against the Southern section team from Charlotte, N.C. Southern advanced to the final with a 2-1 win over the Southern California section team from Laguna Niguel, Calif.
In a thrilling championship final, the Intermountain section slipped past the Southern section, 2-1, to capture the 5.0 title.
“We had a wonderful week,” said Intermountain team captain Jared Harbaugh. “The tournament was exceptionally well run and it was a pleasure to be here. To come out with a victory was absolutely remarkable.”
The women’s title match saw the Southern section, based at Wexford Tennis Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C., triumph over a wild-card Florida section team from Tampa, Fla., 2-1, to win the 5.0 national championship.
“Incredibly exciting. It was a long road to get here,” said Southern team co-captain Deanna Vroman. “Everyone went out and took care of business on the courts – a great team effort.”
Earlier in the day, Southern swept the Eastern section women from New York, 3-0, in a semifinal encounter. The Florida women’s team advanced to the final after scoring a 2-1 semifinal victory over the Southern California section team from Laguna Hills, Calif.