Net Gals Will Take a Swing at a National Title

The Net Gals became the first San Fernando Valley team to qualify for the USTA/Volvo Team Tennis national championship after beating the Lomas Loonies of north San Diego County, 3-2, in a sectional playoff final last weekend at Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley.

Since this Team Tennis league began nearly a decade ago, no Valley team--men’s or women’s--had advanced beyond sectional playoffs.

The 4.0-division Net Gals, composed of 14 area women ranging in age from 37 to 58, beat Ventura County, 5-0, and Orange County, 3-2, to advance to the national championship.

In the sectional final, Heidi Broecking of the Net Gals defeated Karen Gray, 6-1, 6-2, in singles.

The Net Gals also scored doubles victories with the No. 1 team of Doreen Goldberg and Edda Speisser, who defeated Sonia Meyers and Cynthia Thornton, 6-4, 6-4, and the No. 3 doubles team of Beverly Lever and Laura Pearl, who beat Helen Bock and Jamie Gahara, 6-1, 7-5, to clinch the title.

Rita Minor, a member of the Net Gals and the Valley coordinator, said the competition at the 4.0 level was tough.

“For these singles players to compete against these teams was just incredible,” Minor said.

Minor said that most of the other 4.0 teams feature several younger players, many of whom had played in college.

Other members of the team include captain Karen Gaffney, Myrna Craig, Val Hait, Lily Reeves, Tina Clarfield, Patricia Harris, Edith Stefel, and June Sugasawara.

The national championship matches, which will be played at the Double Tree Resort in Palm Springs, Oct. 25-28, will feature 17 teams from the United States and Puerto Rico.

Tournament winners: Roscoe Tanner and Yorgen Janson of Westlake Village defeated the team of Dan Hanson and Tom Smith of Walnut, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the men’s 35-and-over doubles at the Mammoth Lakes Open Tournament last weekend.

Janson also made it to the singles final, but was defeated by Riverside’s Dick Johnsrud, 6-4, 7-5, in the men’s 45-and-over division.

Tanner, 38, a Wimbledon finalist in 1979, prefers friendly competition to the big-dollar tournaments of today.

“Fortunately, I learned tennis as a sport first,” Tanner said. “To me, (the Mammoth Lakes Open) was what tennis is all about--no prize money, just a bunch of tennis players who are interested in having a good time.”

Fast serves: Valley tennis players had the chance to clock the speed of their serves over the weekend at clinics in Studio City and Camarillo.

About 150 players showed for the Wilson/Eagle Tennis Fest at the Cabrillo Racquet Club in Camarillo on Sunday afternoon to receive instruction and clock their serves. Mark Ellis, 17, the No. 1 player at Camarillo High, had the fastest serve of the day--118 m.p.h.

At Monday night’s clinic at The Racquet Centre in Studio City, about 50 people took part in the free instruction.

The Wilson and Eagle companies sponsor 72 similar events across the country, donating $2,000 worth of merchandise a session to be used as prizes for participants.

Junior Team Tennis: Of the six Southern California teams competing at this weekend’s Junior Team Tennis state championships, two are from the Cabrillo Racquet Club.

The top six Southern California teams will meet the best from Northern California at the Industry Hills Tennis Center on Saturday and Sunday.

Monique Allegre, Jessica Improta, Shera Wiegler, Jennifer Messmer, Arezoo Jafroodi, Lisa Sunwoo and Stefany Wolfsohn make up the Cabrillo club’s 15-and-under team. Members of the girls’ 12-and under team are Rhi Potkey, Lulu Oswald, Sarah Distad, Katie Messmer, Sally Distad and Shannon Higgins.

The Cabrillo Racquet Club is no newcomer to the state playoffs. The 12-and-under girls’ team won the state title in 1988, and the boys’ team followed with a title of its own in 1989.

Clay court player: Mark Simon of North Hollywood will compete in the final rounds of the 10th Southern California Clay Court Tournament in Irvine over the weekend.

Simon, 15, who trains at The Racquet Centre in Studio City, is coming off a championship victory in the 16-and-under Thousand Oaks Tournament last month.

Ventura tennis: The 26th Ventura County Tennis Championships are Saturday and Sunday at the Pierpont Racquet Club in Ventura.

The championship is the eighth in a series of 14 events of the Ventura Grand Prix.