Staff reports

The Pine Forest Racquet Club senior women will participate in the United States Tennis Association sectionals after winning the SS combo tournament held at the Peachtree City Tennis facility with an undefeated record.

The team competed in a five-team round robin against Southern Crescent (Peachtree City), Northeast Georgia, Coosa Valley (also Northeast Georgia) and Atlanta. The team will now compete for the sectional title in Mobile, Ala.

The state championship team consisted of partners Mona Woodward and Sandra Creech, and Viki Curtis and Lynn Mashburn; and Beverly Shippey, Martha Williams and Donna Friedlander. Team member Shirley Douglas also will join the squad in Mobile.

Combo play, whether it be adult, senior, super senior or even super super senior players, is the fastest growing league in tennis. The format consists of playing three doubles with each player being a different ranking such as a 3.5 playing with a 4.0.

USTA Georgia has league state championships statewide from May through November. Tournaments are being held in Dalton, Rome, Augusta, Savannah, Macon and Columbus during the 2011 season. Georgia has more tennis players than any other state; some of the tournaments have more than 1,000 participants.

For more information about tennis programs in the Albany area, including junior team tennis, call albanygatennis@aol.com.

SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL

The Pine Forest senior women’s team is headed to the sectional championships after winning SS combo tournament in Peachtree State, Ga.