A few weeks before her local team was scheduled to head to Indian Wells, Calif., for the 40-over Adult Women’s 4.0 U.S. Tennis Association League National Championships, Laurie Malhieros was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“She had played singles for the team throughout the league season, as well as regionals and sectionals,” said Kathy Napier, captain of the team. “She played a significant role in the team’s success with her strong singles game.”
But the unfortunate medical news meant that Malhieros would not be able to play in the national tournament.
Even though Malhieros would not be on the court, the team came up with something that still allowed her presence to be felt while they were playing.
It was a pink T-shirt with “Come On” across the front, in honor of Malhieros, a very competitive player who shouted that phrase whenever she needed to pump herself up during a match.
“Laurie’s famous ‘Come on,’ became the team’s mantra and slogan,” Napier said.
With Malhieros cheering her teammates on from the sidelines, the Richmond team, representing the Mid-Atlantic section, swept unbeaten through their round-robin flight in the Nationals and finished fourth overall in the country during the Oct. 30-Nov. 1 event. Not bad, considering there were 2,400 teams nationwide in their category!
Other members of the squad that played in the desert of Indian Wells were Paige Oostdyk, Catherine Newins, LaVera Williams, Jane Colgin, Dana Wilson, Kim Michael, Sandra Dee Mason, Victoria Lett Bradt, Taihi (Tay) Egres, Catherine Estes, Sally Ann Lake, Melissa Abell and Maureen McGrath.
“I think one of the things I’m most proudest of is we had 15 players on the roster, and all 15 players came,” said Napier, who was unable to play herself because of an injury. “Not only did they come, but eight of them brought spouses or, in one case, a boyfriend.
“One player, who brought her spouse with her, also brought two friends with her. So we had 25 total people who came to support the team, which is pretty darn awesome.”
That made for quite a cheering section, as the ladies were battling it out on the court with teams from other parts of the country.
After taking care of the teams in their flight, the Napier bunch was beaten by a squad from Connecticut (New England section) 4-1 in the semifinals. That team went on to capture the national title in the 40-over 4.0 division.
In the consolation match for third and fourth place, the Richmonders were edged by a team from Southern California 3-2.
“Against the Connecticut team, we had two tiebreaks, so we were close,” Napier said. “Against the Southern Cal team, we had three, third-set tiebreaks. Very close match. A point here and a point there the last day.”
In these matches, there are two singles and three doubles, giving a total of eight people a chance to play.
“I am especially proud that everyone who was able to play, not only played, but played more than once. And every player had at least one win,” Napier said. “Every person on the team contributed to our success.”
The majority of the players (nine) on the roster are from the Midlothian Athletic Club, while five play out of acac and one comes from the Dominion Club in Henrico County.
“We’ve been together since 2011 when we went to Nationals as an 18-over team, minus the people that went up to 4.5, and finished in second place,” said Napier. “So this is the essentially the same team. A lot of the same people.”
The Napier squad finished their season with a record of 15-3 and had a rollicking good time along the way.
“Even though we were unbeaten in our league, there were some really close matches,” Napier said. “Despite how far we got, we could easily have gotten tripped up in our own league play. And the sectionals were close too.
“We were very lucky in some ways. It takes more than just talent, I think. There was a good deal of serendipity.”
Left to right as follows: Paige Oostdyk, Catherine Newins, LaVera Williams, Jane Colgin, Dana Wilson, Laurie Malheiros, Kim Michael, Sandra Dee Mason, Victoria Lett Bradt, Taihi Egres, Kathryn Napier (Captain), Catherine Estes, Sally Ann Lake, Melissa Abell, Maureen McGrath.
Photo: Kent Horner