Cleveland residents bring home
State Combo Tennis Titles
ennis is a sport that residents in Cleveland enjoy on a regular basis.
The love for tennis that the local players have was on display earlier this month. Two teams from the Cleveland Country Club won state championships with other players from Cleveland contributing to several additional state championships in the Mississippi United States Tennis Association Combo Doubles State Tennis Tournaments on Nov. 8-10 at the Parham Bridges Tennis Center in Jackson.
The Rocconi team won the 18 and Over 2.5 Combo Doubles Women’s Tennis Tournament, and the Joel team won the 18 and Over 5.5 Combo Doubles Men’s Tennis Tournament.
In the 2.5 women’s tournament, the Rocconi team won its first two matches on Nov. 8 by defeating DiSanti/Gulf Coast (3-0) and Johnson/North Central (3-0). The Rocconi team came back on Nov. 9 and beat Hennessey/Pine Belt (2-1) but lost to Barnes/Jackson 2-1. Rocconi and Barnes finished tied for first at 3-1, but the Rocconi team had more individual wins and was able to secure the title. During the regular season, the Rocconi team won the Delta League Championship with a perfect 6-0 record.
Members of the team are Kelly Matthews, Mallory Burchfield, Presley Roberson, Britney Rocconi, Michelle Williams, Brooke Cudiff, Taylor Kirker, Brittany Bowen, Meredith Fletcher, Lauren Shurden, Ana Parker Davis, Ellen Fiser and Shelby Carter. Rocconi was the team captain.
“Everybody played well,” said Rocconi. “I’m proud of my team. They made the least amount of errors and did what they needed to do to win. We’re all friends. We all get along with each other, and we love playing tennis together. I put some people together that have never played together before, and they did great. Everybody had great attitudes, and everybody was very accommodating to whatever I wanted to do and that made my job a lot easier.”
In the 5.5 men’s tournament, the Joel team defeated Medina/Jackson (2-1) but lost its next match to Ouellette/Pine Belt (2-1) on Nov. 8. The Joel team came back with a terrific outing on Nov. 9 with a win over Sumrall/Pine Belt (3-0). The Joel team had another dominant victory on Nov. 10 with a win over Lackey/Northeast (3-0). Joel, Medina and Ouellette were tied for first at 3-1 in the tournament, but Joel had more individual wins to capture the championship. John Joel is the captain of the team. Team members are Joel, Caleb West, Jeff Lusk, Warren Bramuchi, Jonathan Burchfield, Wesley Aldridge, Josh Morgan, Hunter Kovac, Eric Wicker, Wesley Tindall and Allen Pongetti.
“We had a blast,” said Joel. “Everybody played well together. The different pairings just paired well, and they complemented each other. We had a great time. We got the opportunity to go down there after a few hiccups during the season. We laid it all out there on the court and ended up coming out on top.”
Cleveland residents Judd Williams, Dylan Matthews and Turner Hughes were members of the Knight team from the Delta that won the 18 and Over 6.5 Combo Doubles Men’s Tennis Tournament with a 4-0 record. Williams was also a member of the Parks/North Central team from Southaven that won the 40 and Over 6.5 Combo Doubles Men’s Tennis Tournament with a 2-1 record.
Williams enjoyed his weekend with all of his teammates.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Williams. “It was really a strong showing from the Delta. I’m proud of all of the teams. It was exciting to be a part of that. It just goes to show you some of the best tennis in the country is right here from the Delta.”
Cleveland’s Lane Purvis, Allyson Lofton, Mary Elizabeth Jeffreys, Beth Joel, Lisa Cooley, Susan Morgan and Christy Prine were members of the Darden team from the Delta that won the 40 and Over 7.5 Combo Doubles Women’s Tennis Tournament with a 4-1 record.
“We have a really, really strong team,” said Cooley. “This is the second time we’ve won the championship. We won it two years ago to. Last year, we didn’t compete. We have a very, very strong team. It’s so much fun. It’s a good group of ladies, and we really enjoy each other.”
Cleveland’s Jeffrey Farris was a member of Jackson’s Strain team that went 3-0 and won the 18 and Over 8.5 Combo Doubles Men’s Tennis Tournament.
The Joel team, the Knight team and the Darden Team will head to the USTA Southern Sectionals at Mobile, Ala. starting Dec. 6.