NCW4.0-4.5 Singles Champions 2016 MTP 1

Midtown-Palatine has two singles teams in the NCW4.0-4.5 Singles league and as a testament to their depth both teams made it to the playoffs. RC Lake Bluff extinguished the possibility of an all Midtown-Palatine final by taking down the Midtown-Palatine 2 team 3-1 to make it to the finals. Midtown-Bannockburn was favored to win since they ended the regular season in 1st place but Midtown-Palatine 1 slithered past them winning in games 37-31. The showdown took place at Midtown-Bannockburn. There were a few changes in positioning and players in RCLB’s lineup from their semi-final match while MTP 1’s team remained largely intact. On court 1, RCLB’s Beth Ann McFadden took on MTP’s Keeley Hart and won 6-2, 6-2. That was RCLB’s only win. On court 2, MTP’s Karen Majerczak played against Fauzia Alsikafi and won 6-2, 6-3. On court 3, MTP’s Renee Buxton had a tight match against Zoya Mirza winning 6-4, 6-4. And on court 4 MTP’s Jodie Shield didn’t let up against RCLB’s Kate Amaral. Pictured MTP 1 (left to right) – Coach Krisztina Anderko, Keeley Hart, Cassie Miller, Karen Majerczak, Jodie Shield, Sue Levy (captain), Renee Buxton, Linda Zucco, Eileen Felicelli. Not pictured: Sharon Ehrens, Rosy Hugener

Midtown-Palatine’s NCW4.0Wed team just suffered a loss to Lakeshore the day before, so Midtown’s 3.0 team wanted to bring home a win for the club. Lakeshore’s team wanted to continue their winning streak. Everyone fought hard!!! Three of the four matches went to 3 sets and the two setter could have gone to 3 sets as well. Matches were tied 2-2. It was the 2 set match on court 2 that gave MTP the edge and the championship! On court 1, MTP’s Ki Kellen/Alicia Wickler played against LSSF’s Carey Goldblatt/Leslie Lancry. MTP started out well, but LSSF pushed back in the 2nd only to lose the momentum in the 3rd. MTP won 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. On court 2, MTP’s Michelle Hoffman/Stacey Tomczak took on LSSF’s Chrissy Baccich/Colleen Farrell. It was all business for MTP in the 1st set which they won 6-0 but LSSF wasn’t about to fold. They pushed back but couldn’t quite get the match to the 3rd set. MTP won the 2nd set 7-5. On court 3, now that was a close match. I didn’t get the 2nd set tie-breaker scores but LSSF’s Lindsay Freeman/Christine Weil won 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 (5) against MTP’s Lori Bowling/Gail Wolf. On court 4, LSSF’s Janet Larson/Veda Maniquis also had a 3 setter against MTP’s Cherrie Han/Molly Louden. LSSF won 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

This year the NCW3.0 Experience Championship took place. This is the only league where we have two sets of playoffs offering the players who are new to CITA and to competition an understanding of what the Playoff is all about because it is different from the regular season. During the regular season you have 2 hours to complete 3 sets. But during the playoffs we play 2 out of 3 sets and it is untimed. In the semis, the women play a 3rd set match tie-breaker, the men do not; they play out the 3rd set. In the finals, both men and women play out the 3rd set. For women new to competition, all this can seem overwhelming or exciting depending on your perspective. While the Experience Championship does not come with a trophy, our hope is that the experience will entice you to further your journey into the tennis world and come away with new friendships and a better understanding of the game.

This year Midtown-Chicago played against North Shore in the NC Women’s 3.0 Experience Finals. Midtown-Chicago had the benefit of winning their two matches in two sets. North Shore also won two of their matches but won in three sets. When there is a match tie, we count sets won. In this case Midtown-Chicago won 6 sets and North Shore won 4 sets. On court 1 NSRC’s Monica Morales/Debroah Hogan won in 3 sets against MTC’s Kimberly Young/Aisha Sharif 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. On court 2, MTC’s Susan Hodson/Kathy Clark played against NSRC’s Hana Rivkin/Marcia Johnson and won 6-0, 6-3. On court 3 NSRC’s Karen Marino/Elizabeth Ciccolini won in 3 sets against MTC’s Monica Hughson/Christy Grove 2-6, 7-5, 6-4. On court 4 MTC’s Gina Hutchings/Jen Pramenko played against NSRC’s Lynn Golschmidt/Theresa Croghan and won 7-5, 6-1. Nice playing everyone.

NCW4.0Wed Finalists - Midtown-Palatine

Lakeshore made it to the finals last year after beating Midtown-Palatine in the semis but they were stopped short by Midtown-Chicago who won the Championship in 2015. But sometimes a loss forges a will to win. This year LSSF met MTC in the semis and moved passed them to get to the Finals. Midtown-Palatine slinked past North Shore winning by one set. While MTP moved past the semis this year and got to the finals, LSSF put their dreams of a championship on hold. This year Lakeshore held up the Champion’s trophy with a 4-2 win over Midtown-Palatine. Maybe next year we’ll see Midtown-Palatine holding up the trophy. On court 1, MTP’s Karen Majerczak/Joanna White played against LSSF’s Amy Leadstrom/Vina Manquis. They had just played against each other the month before winning the first 2 sets 6-3, 6-2, and losing the 3rd set 7-5. During the finals LSSF took the 1st set 6-4 which set something in motion with the MTP team because they powered through the 2nd set 6-0 and the 3rd set 6-2. On court 2, LSSF’s Rachel Elli/Melanie Liss was “on” against MTP’s Wendy Rowden/Dina Skinner. On court 3, it was a tie-breaker in the 3rd set that decided the match. LSSF’s Jennifer Roche/Jessica Arnold played against MTP’s Liz Freeman/Shelly Cohen. The tie-breaker was 7-5 – very close. Could have gone either way. On court 4, LSSF’s Sarah Koleno/Laura Keener played against MTP’s Maureen Ahern/Sue Levy and won 6-3, 6-2. On court 5, LSSF’s Penny Trowbridge/Tracey Sartino played against MTP’s Robin Mussar/Patrice Lindberg and won 6-3, 6-3. On court 6, MTP’s Jennifer McKenna/Brigid Quint played against LSSF’s Sue Smith/Joan Hoese and gave MTP their 2nd court win. MTP 4.0 Wed Finalists- pictured L-R: Shelly Cohen, Sue Levy, Maureen Ahern, Dina Skinner, Liz Freeman, Jen McKenna, Brigid Quint, Patrice Lindberg, Robin Mussar, Wendy Bowden, Joanna White, Karen Majerczak

NCW3.0-3.5 Singles Champions 2016 MTP

For two years in a row, Midtown-Palatine and RC Lake Bluff have met each other in the finals. Some of the players have changed. Midtown-Palatine moved a few of their players from last year into the next higher level singles league which allowed their players to be challenged. RCLB kept their court 1 player from last year and added a few new players to their roster. On court 1, RCLB’s Lyla Chandy took the match to a 3rd set match tie-breaker against MTP’s Megan Elwell winning 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (9). On court 2, MTP’s Michelle Kondrat won against RCLB’s Camille Prindle. While their previous meetups produced wins on both sides, Michelle’s game was on this time. She won 6-2, 6-1. On court 3, MTP’s Elizabeth Jimenez played against RCLB’s Debbie Yurenka. It was the 1st time they had played against each other. Elizabeth came out the winner with a 6-3, 7-5 win. On court 4, MTP’s Ki Kellen who had a stellar year playing singles, won against RCLB’s Gigi Warren. Midtown-Palatine won 3-1 against RC Lake Bluff. Word has it that MTP’s coach, Krisztina Anderko, has a fan in Romania. Krisztina’s coach and father was cheering the team on from Romania. How cool is that!

To say that the teams from RC Lake Bluff and Libertyville are rivals would be an understatement. For the last four years, the Racquet Club of Lake Bluff has held up the trophy. Libertyville came very close to taking the trophy away from them 2 years ago but that was then. RCLB’s team for the finals was Peter Krizman (captain), Dennis Dobrin, Nick Andres and Johannes Tauscher. Libertyville’s team was Matt Deans(captain), David Currie, Jim Nelson and Jon Stauffer. RCLB took the top 3 courts and Libertyville won the 4th court due to retirement. RCLB raises the trophy once again winning 3-1.

RCLB Men's 4.5 Singles Champions

This year we split the Men’s Singles into two levels. There is a stalwart group of guys who are willing to get moving early in the morning. The season started with five teams with four of the teams making it to the playoffs. This year Midtown-Palatine was out of the running being the 5th place team which left Libertyville, College Park, Five Seasons and North Shore to duke it out in the Playoffs. The 1st place team Libertyville played against the 4th place team North Shore. BUT Libertyville had a bit of bad luck with one of their players getting sick that morning and another of their players injuring himself in the 1st set. North Shore edged out Libertyville to get to the finals by taking the match to 3 sets on court 1. College Park had to get past Five Seasons to make it to the Finals which they did winning 3 out of the 4 matches. College Park played North Shore in the Finals winning 3 matches. Two of the matches went to a match tie-breaker but the solid wins on courts 1 and 3 gave CPAC the advantage. They got to take home the trophy!

CPAC Men's 4.0 Singles Champions

For those of you who are not playing in the CITA Singles Finals or 3.0 Doubles Finals, there is an American Cancer Society tennis event being held at various clubs around the North Shore. Please go to www.acsnorthshorewomensboard.com and click on Events – North Shore Tennis for more information.

Congratulations to Jerry Morse-Karzen on being inducted into the USTA Midwest Section 2015 Hall of Fame. One of the great aspects of tennis is the fact that it is a sport the whole family can enjoy. Jerry took it to a competitive level playing father-son tournaments with his father and then with his son and daughter. I’ve included a link listing Jerry’s many accomplishments. Wish him a hearty congratulations. He has done a lot for our tennis community! Thank you Jerry!
http://www.chicago.usta.com/congratulations_to_jerry_morse-karzen_for_being_inducted_into_ustamidwest_section__2015_hall_of_fame/

Are you ready for another great season of tennis? The 2015-2016 CITA Leagues begin on September 9th with the Women’s 3.5 league. We have a myriad of levels for both singles and doubles. Our singles leagues are on Thursday for the women and early on Sunday mornings for the men. Most of our women’s leagues take place on Wednesday or Friday with our lowest level 3.0 league on Thursdays. The men’s doubles leagues are all on Saturday (3.5-Open) with each level playing every other week. For information on the leagues, call Ann Taylor at 847-236-0726 or contact one of our member clubs. Click on “Clubs” to find a club near you.

During the summer months, while CITA is on hiatus, there are numerous opportunities for players to play tennis. There are leagues you can join but often the best tennis is when you call up another player and ask them to play. We hope our leagues provide a nice cross-section of players you enjoy playing with and against. Make the call. The other player will feel honored you thought about them. Happy Summer!

Girls High School Finals between Lincolnshire and RC Lake Bluff

Team Lincolnshire took home the Girls High School league trophy for the 2nd year in a row. While there were a few returning players from last year, there were a few new faces added to the mix. Lincolnshire’s opponent, RC Lake Bluff, did the best they could, but Lincolnshire came out strong and remained strong throughout. On court 1 LINC’s Kate Harvey/Elizabeth Ferdman took on RCLB’s Gabrielle Prindle/Callie Klein and won 6-1, 6-1. On court 2 LINC’s Bronwyn Heidkamp/Lily Tiemeyer played against RCLB’s Emily Gorczynski and won 6-0, 6-1. On court 3 LINC’s Sam Burger/Patricia Dizon matched up against RCLB’s Grace Chatas/Juliet Prindle and won 6-2, 6-2. Lincolnshire won 3-0 and took home the trophy!

NSRC Men’s Open team looking relaxed after the win.

The Men’s Open Championship pitted Team North Shore against Team Midtown-Chicago. Midtown-Chicago had won the trophy last year but this year it was North Shore’s turn. Both teams have some incredible players on their teams who put on a display of great tennis. North Shore took the trophy away from Midtown-Chicago with a 5-1 win. Go to www.facebook.com/chicagolandindoortennis for more details on the match.

RCLB winning Men’s 4.5 Championship

The team from The RC Lake Bluff put a stop to River Trails running away with another trophy. The matches were all running long with many long points. RCLB won court 1, 2, & 4 in 2 sets; RTTC won courts 3 & 6 in 2 sets and won court 5 as well but because it was a 3 setter, the win went to RCLB who won in sets 7-6. Go to www.facebook.com/chicagolandindoortennis for more details on the match.

River Trails win NC Men’s 4.0 Championship

River Trails was on a roll. Their Men’s 3.5 team just won their finals. And now their Men’s 4.0 team did the same against Midtown-Palatine. They had some help with a default by Midtown-Palatine and one can only wonder what might have happened if MTP had their full lineup. The matches were close with two of the courts going to 3 sets and the other courts close 2 set matches as well. River Trails prevailed with a 4-2 win over Midtown-Palatine. Go to www.facebook.com/chicagolandindoortennis for more detail on the matches.

River Trails NC Men’s 3.5 Champions

For the 2nd year in a row, River Trails has won the NC Men’s 3.5 league. North Shore took them to 3 sets on court 1 but the rest of the courts were all River Trails. There were a few tense moments, a little bit of attitude here and there but in the end, gracious handshakes ended the matches. Go to www.facebook.com/chicagolandindoortennis for more detail on the matches. “Like” our page!!

RCLB NCW Open Green Champions

Midtown-Palatine and RC Lake Bluff took to the courts at Five Seasons Sports Club for the finals of the NC Women’s Open Green league. It came down to what happened on court 5. The matches were tied 3-3, but RCLB won 7 sets to MTP’s 6 sets. Super interesting matches…especially court 6. It’s been a few years since RC Lake Bluff’s name was on the trophy so this was a sweet victory for them.

Lakeshore and Midtown-Chicago trekked up from the city to play at Glenbrook Racquet Club for the finals of the NC Women’s 4.5 Red league. Both teams had recently played against each other in the mini-playoffs of the NWW4.5 Red. Lakeshore prevailed in that event. And Lakeshore wanted to keep the momentum of that win alive with a win in this league. And they did winning 4-2.

Midtown-Bannockburn and North Shore Racquet Club met at Glenbrook Racquet Club to play in the finals of the NC Women’s 4.5 Green league. Both teams have seasoned players. During the regular season, when they played each other, it was close. The two times they played North Shore came out ahead, 9.5-8.5, both times. Maybe those wins helped their confidence because at the finals North Shore was the team that held the trophy. They won 4-2.

RCLB NCW4.0Friday Champions

The NC Women’s 4.0 Friday final took place at Northbrook Racquet Club with RC Lake Bluff playing against Lakeshore. On Wednesday, Lakeshore’s 4.0 Wednesday team came up against Midtown-Chicago and lost 5-1 but this was a different team and they had high hopes. RCLB came into the final with high hopes as well. They had played LSSF in February and had a significant win against them. But some of the players were different and so you never know the outcome until you get out on the courts. It was close. While RCLB won 4-2, four of the six matches went to 3 sets with two of the 3 set matches won on a single break of service. Whew! Nice playing everyone!!!