Canyon Lake USTA tennis team wins sectionals

BY Dawn Rankins

Canyon Lake’s 3.0 United States Tennis Association team is headed to Arizona to compete at the Nationals after winning the Sectionals Tournament over the weekend in Irvine.

After finishing first in their league, the Canyon Lake team earned its invitation to the Nationals Tournament after winning the Sectionals held at Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

Only one of the 11 women on the 3.0 Canyon Lake Tennis Team is not a Canyon Lake resident. The team’s players are Captain Andrea Bohn, Meredith Kielty, Sheila Walkington, Erin Furlong, Julie Frakes, Lori Borresen, Sue Muscarella, Danette Conlin, Liz Cardoza, Tina Maslach and Wendy Williams.

Coach Bobby Kielty attended all the matches at the Sectionals competition and worked closely with the team. He has helped the team prepare for the intense competition, Sue Muscarella said. Bobby is the team’s Canyon Lake POA-approved head tennis pro. He gives lessons to adults and youth on the courts in Canyon Lake.

The Canyon Lake tennis team is the first 3.0 team to represent the Inland Empire at Nationals. The team is so excited to be heading to Surprise, Arizona for the Nationals Tournament on Oct. 22-24.

“I will tell you that as a team we are still walking on the clouds,” Sue said after the weekend tournament in Irvine. “We’re still amazed by our accomplishments, especially when we realized we are the first 3.0 team to compete at Nationals from the Inland Empire, ever.”

The team played matches on Friday and Saturday to earn their way into Sunday’s semifinal and final matches.

Andrea’s team played eight matches against four other women’s 3.0 teams in the Inland Empire and finished undefeated and the Local League winner.

Moving onto the Southern California Tennis Association Sectionals, they were undefeated in their flight playing two matches against San Gabriel Valley and San Diego North County. Next, they won their semi-final match against the Coachella Valley Indian Wells team with 3 wins and 1 loss. In the Finals, it was a close match against San Diego.

There were a total of 10 teams in the women’s 3.0 level adult 40 sectionals event that represented different areas in Southern California.

“As the Inland Empire Area League Coordinator, I am very proud of the first women’s 3.0 team to represent the Inland Empire at Nationals,” Amy Ruth Ellison said. “Congratulations. I know players will enjoy this memorable and unique experience.”