Grosse Pointe Tennis Players Lead Team to 2nd Place at Nationals

SECOND PLACE: 8.0 Midwest (Detroit, Mich.) L to R: Chris Huston, Cynthia Kathryn Tewes, Mary Beth Garvey, Alisa Taylor (Captain), Tom Kolojeski, Geraldine Ocampo Gallant, Anthony Taylor (Captain)

SURPRISE, ARIZ., NOVEMBER, 16, 2014 – A mixed doubles tennis team from Detroit, Mich., representing the USTA Midwest Section, finished second at the USTA League Mixed 40 & Over 8.0 National Championships held at the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.

The Detroit team lost to a team from Cerritos, Calif., 3-0 in the Championship match. Earlier in the day, the Detroit team defeated a team from Fairfax, Va., 2-1 in the semifinals. They advanced this far by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.

The team is captained by Alisa Taylor and Anthony Taylor of Scottsdale, Ariz., and features Chris Huston (Saint Claire Shores), Cynthia Kathryn Tewes (Grosse Point Park), Mary Beth Garvey (Grosse Point Park), Tom Kolojeski (Grosse Point Farms), Geraldine Ocampo Gallant (Grosse Point Shores) and plays at the Eastside Tennis and Fitness Club.

The top four teams in order of finish are: Southern California, Midwest, New England and Mid-Atlantic.

Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 820,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.

USTA League was established to provide adult recreational tennis players throughout the country with the opportunity to compete against players of similar ability levels. Players participate on teams in a league format, which is administered by the USTA through its 17 Sections. The league groups players by using six National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) levels, ranging from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced). USTA League is open to any USTA member 18 years of age or older.

Last year USTA League changed its structure and format. The change offers USTA League participant’s two divisions: Adult (18 & Over, 40 & Over and 55 & Over) and Mixed (18 & Over) to better align participants with players their own age. In 2014 a Mixed 40 & Over division was added. The restructuring guarantees more frequency of play opportunities at more appropriate age groups.

Head Penn Racquet Sports is in its 27th year as official ball of USTA League.

For more information about USTA League or the USTA, visit www.usta.com.