Bellevue Women's Tennis Team Win National Championships

The Bellevue women's tennis team from Robinswood Tennis Center captured the national title at the USTA League Adult 18 & Over 2.5 National Championships in Indian Wells, CA, according to a press release from the United States Tennis Association.

The team is captained by Kristine Kleinsmith and features Edna Gossage, Karen Schmid, Alicia Scott, Sue Junker, Jason Chapman, Jill Olkoski, Susan Casabona, and Heidi Kay Person, according to USTA.

For more information on USTA, check out its website at http://www.usta.com/

USTA provided the following information on the team's win:
INDIAN WELLS, CA  – The women’s tennis team from Bellevue, WA, representing the USTA Pacific Northwest Section, captured the national title at the USTA League Adult 18 & Over 2.5 National Championships held Oct. 8 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA.

The Bellevue team defeated a team from Charleston, WV, 3-0 in the Championship match. Earlier in the day, the Bellevue team defeated a team from Warrenton, 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 Kristine Kleinsmith and features Edna Gossage, Karen Schmid, Alicia Scott, Sue Junker, Jason Chapman, Jill Olkoski, Susan Casabona, Heidi Kay Person and plays at the Robinswood Tennis Center.

The top four teams in order of finish are: Pacific Northwest Section, Midwest Section, Northern California Section and Mid-Atlantic Section.

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. 

Beginning with the 2013 National Championship season, USTA League changed its structure and format. The change offers USTA League participants three age categories (Adult 18 & Over, Adult 40 & Over and Adult 55 & Over and Mixed 18 & Over) to better align participants with players their own age. The restructuring guarantees more frequency of play opportunities at more appropriate age groups.