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Published on 06/02/1999 All articles from this issue

Fremont Hills claims senior tennis crown

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By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Despite late notice and a shortage of players, a women's tennis team from Fremont Hills Country Club in Los Altos Hills captured the USA Senior League Sectionals May 16 in Napa.

"We didn't know we were going until the last minute, and we had to scramble to see who could make it," said Sue McPherson, co-captain of the 3.0-level team. "We have a small team to begin with, and only six of us were able to go."

Any less than that, and the team of age 50-plus women wouldn't have gone at all. The sectionals is a doubles tournament that requires three tandems from each team.

"We had to hope for no injuries, which isn't easy at this age," McPherson said. "But we really pulled through."

A few weeks beforehand, the squad was under the impression that it had missed the sectionals due to a second-place finish in the Peninsula District Championships.

But it turned out there was a mix-up in the scoring, and Fremont Hills was declared the winner after the fact.

The late invitation caught some of the Fremont Hills' players off-guard. Three of them already had made other plans for that time, including co-captain Karen Lofton, who was heading to Europe.

But the players who did participate - Kathy Danforth, Lorraine Steele, Mary Telfer, Kathy Manchuk, Ann Wendin and McPherson - made the most of the opportunity.

All three duos posted winning records in the round-robin tournament, held over three days at the Napa Valley Country Club. Fremont Hills compiled a 7-2 overall record to edge runner-up Sun City (6-3), a team from outside Sacramento.

"We played real well," McPherson said. "We had a little trouble the first day because of nerves, but we got over it."

Fremont Hills' most successful pairing was Manchuk-Wendin, who went undefeated in the sectionals.

"They were tough," McPherson said.

And the season isn't over just yet for Fremont Hills. This group of women from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills now moves on to the USA Senior League Nationals, set for Oct. 22-24 in Palm Springs.

"That should be a great time," McPherson said. "We're really looking forward to it."

At least this time, the team will be able to plan ahead.