The 6.0 Mid-Atlantic winners: Back row: Jon Smith, Roger Chouinard, Doug Almeida, Dana Plude. Front row, Shanna Hayward, Susanne Clawson, Sheila Farrell, Linda Stelly, James Dorf.

  6.0 Senior Mixed National Champions

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL -- Captains Jon Smith and James Dorf's team cruised to the title.

The Mid-Atlantic (Howard County, MD) team won the 6.0 Senior Mixed National Championship with a 3-0 victory over Pacific Northwest in the Finals.

Smith said, "The team went 15-0 in the match counts - we only dropped 3 sets in the entire weekend, so everyone played very well."

At No. 1 doubles, Doug Almeida (Frederick, MD) and Shanna Hayward (Reisterstown, MD) blitzed Arvid Anderson and Gwendolyn Babi 6-1, 6-4. At second doubles, Dana Plude (Rockville, MD) and Sheila Farrell (Potomac, MD) dominated Vicki Blunt and Kenneth Hoffman. At No. 3 doubles, Roger Chouinard (White Hall, MD) and Linda Stelly (Silver Spring, MD) slipped past Itsuko Day and Jeff Orme 6-4, 4-6, 1-0. 

Smith said, "The finals were against the Washington (Pacific NW) team, which was more of a finesse team, with careful shot selection and a wide variety of shots, so another difficult match, but our players adjusted well and prevailed. We had already won the first and second courts, so everyone knew we had won the championship, but on the third court we had a long match and went into a third-set tiebreaker. 

"The opposing captain was on the third court and told our players that while she knew we would win the championship, she hoped to give us at least one loss. That sparked our players and they wound up winning the tiebreaker 10-2 as they decided they were not going home as the only team who lost at Nationals!"

Smith said the team celebrated by partying on Sunday night. He and Dorf are used to victory celebrations.

Smith said, "I have now won four Nationals (2005 Mixed 6.0, 2008 Men's 3.0, 2008 Senior Mixed 6.0, and now the 2009 Senior Mixed 6.0). James was not on the 2005 team, so he has won three."

Smith and Dorf have teamed together to send 10 teams to Nationals. Smith said, "Our skill sets complement each other in producing winning teams."

To advance to the semis, Pacific Northwest slipped past Southern California 2-1, while Mid-Atlantic crushed Southern 3-0 in the semis.

At No. 1 doubles, Almeida and Susanne Clawson outfought Anthony Rutherford and Janis Crye 6-4, 7-5. At No. 2 doubles, Plude and Hayward played three tiebreakers before prevailing 7-6, 6-7, 1-0, over Scott Begbie and Mary Cockrill. At No. 3 doubles, Chouinard and Stelly defeated Tony Rayfield and Diane Thrash 6-1, 6-3.

Smith said, "We played Tennessee (Southern) in the semifinals, which was a power-oriented team, with lots of speed and topspin on each court. One of the three matches went 2 and 1/2 hours playing into the third-set tiebreaker."

To win its flight, Mid-Atlantic went undefeated, toppling Hawaii, Southwest, and Texas 3-0.

Players who were unbeaten in the league and playoffs were Clawson, Chouinard, Dorf, Almeida, Farrell, Stelly, Dottie Zurnedden, and Steve Ring.

Smith, Mike Mitchell, Jim Alvey, Donna Considine, Dave Epstein, and Julie Copty were undefeated during the regular season.

*****