Anthem senior men’s tennis team met stiff competition at national tournament

By Sean Ammerman

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 | 1:30 a.m.

The Anthem Country Club 3.0 senior men's tennis team never expected to qualify for a national tournament.

Team captain Billy Herskowitz formed the 10-man crew this summer, not from heavy recruiting but, based on whoever had the most free time.

The team competed in the United States Tennis Association's 3.0 Senior Men's National Championships Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at Darling Tennis Center. Anthem didn't make it out of bracket play, but the competitors still had a good time.

"It was a great experience," Herskowitz said. "We all realized that after playing here so long, we're actually pretty good. I feel like we're better than all the Las Vegas teams as a whole, but nationally the teams were tough to match up to."

The annual tournament featured 17 teams from across the country, each of which qualified through 3.0 level sectional tournaments.

The tennis association considers 3.0 players to be consistent with medium-paced shots. Player levels are based on a scale from 1.0 to 7.0. Senior men's tournaments are all doubles, with each team having three starting squads and one alternate.

The team also included Bert Carducci, Mark Bert Fastow, Bob Jamison, Bob Van Liere and John Bielun.

Anthem's Larry Hanna, 64, said the team hadn't played with each other much before the summer but quickly developed into close friends. They were the first senior men's team from the club to qualify for the tournament.

"Because of our age we all have hiccups, but we do a good job of compensating for it," Hanna said.

The team won its league competition against Lorenzi Racquet Club to qualify for the Intermountain Sectional in Boise, Idaho, Sept. 19 to Sept. 21.

Even with a smaller eight-man roster, Anthem went 3-0 at the sectional to take the Intermountain seed in the national tournament.

Vince Lupica, the team's elder statesman at 76, said the team performed well in close tiebreakers to get the win.

"We were probably lucky, but at the same time we played really well," Lupica said. "We were surprised that we won it."

Herskowitz said a smaller lineup made the sectional more demanding on the seniors.

"Between my ankle and my back, I don't know how I got through the weekend," he said. "It's difficult to play three matches in less than 24 hours at our age."

Winning the sectional forces the team to split according to association rules.

"We refuse to lose — that was our motto," Herskowitz said. "If everyone on a team is a legitimate 3.0 player, we feel we can beat any team on any given day."

Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].