The Midwest Section reigned supreme on Sunday at the 2017 USTA League National Adult 18 & Over 4.5 Championships, held at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla. The women’s squad from Stow, Ohio, and the men from Indianapolis took home the national titles to wrap up the weekend.

The women from the Buckeye State took down Florida in the semifinals by a final score of 4-1, but it was much closer than the score would indicate. Other than a 6-0, 6-0 result at the top singles spot, Midwest recorded a 7-6, 7-6 win at the first doubles line along with pulling out two other courts in a match tiebreak.

Dominating singles play paced the Midwest team to their championship conquest over Eastern, which got by Missouri Valley in the other semifinal. Midwest gave away just six games in the two singles matchups and added a tough 6-4, 7-6 victory on the third doubles court to clinch the 3-2 victory and the national title.

Representing the La Tuchie Tennis Center in Stow, Ohio, the Midwest squad features captain Jodi Hanish and co-captain Melinda Koch along with Martha Adams, Andrea Morris, Isabelle Rodau, Kathleen Ferry, Erika Sullivan, Maria Ciccolini, Cassie Scala, Catherine Areklett, Irene Norman, Skyelyn Lundy Harwood, Ana Lopez, Paige Carmichael, Judith Uijtewaal, and Kayla Pukys.

The Midwest men came through with a 4-1 defeat of Florida in their semifinal, only dropping the second doubles position. They won in straight sets at the top singles spot plus the first and third doubles courts to secure their place in the championship tilt, where they faced off against a Mid-Atlantic team that prevailed over Texas, 3-2, in their semifinal clash.

The battle for the men’s crown was a tense one featuring three match tiebreaks. Even the two contests that were decided in straight sets were tight, with Mid-Atlantic winning 6-4, 7-5 on the first singles court and Midwest taking the third doubles court 6-4, 6-4. The two squads split the remaining doubles spots, but a 6-7, 6-2, 1-0 triumph by the Hoosier State squad at the second singles line locked up the title by the slimmest of margins, 3-2.

Playing out of the Five Seasons Sports Country Club in Indianapolis, the Midwest representatives are captained by Josh Heeg. The full roster includes Vijay Rao, Matt Cohen, Benjamin Miller, Nick Thompson, Matthew Zollman, Steven Pjevach, Dan Albert, John W. Housholder, John Keele, Chad Hathaway, and Jose Hungria.

For full match results from the 2017 USTA League National Adult 4.5 Championships, click here. Champions and runners-up photos can be found here.

Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 players in a few parts of the country in its first year to more than 900,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.

USTA League was established to provide adult recreational 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.