TeamTennis : Buds to Meet St. Louis in Final
Earlier this season when the St. Louis Slims beat the San Diego Buds, 24-23, in St. Louis, Bud Coach Larry Willens was just as surprised as he was upset.
“I can’t believe we could lose to a team like this,” said Willens after the July 14 loss. “They simply don’t belong on the court with us.”
Evidently, they did. Today, at Macfarlane Park in San Antonio, Tex., the Buds and Slims will play for the TeamTennis championship.
“It just goes to show what I know,” said Willens after the Buds beat Oakland, 26-19, Thursday, to reach today’s final. “I picked St. Louis to finish on the bottom, but they’ve been surprising.”
In its semifinal match, St. Louis went into Miami Beach and defeated the regular-season champion Breakers, 22-21, on their home clay courts.
The Slims--Terry Moor, John Mattke, Candy Reynolds and Sandy Collins--finished the regular season with a 9-5 record. They defeated Los Angeles, 28-22, in the first round before beating Miami Beach.
The Buds, who beat St. Louis, 27-17, in their other regular-season meeting in San Diego, have won five straight matches entering today’s final.
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