They say that good things come to those who wait. For Gena Maresca, who has captained the Levittown women’s tennis team for nine years, this sentiment truly hits home.
Though the ladies played in the United States Tennis Association District Championships for the last four years, they struggled to advance any further. But on Oct. 4-6 in Surprise, Arizona, the team not only attended nationals, but won the entire thing.
“It was amazing,” Maresca said. “We’re still pinching ourselves.”
The USTA ranks players from 2.5 (entry) to 5.0 (advanced) based on skill level, with the Levittown team competing in the popular 3.5 division. After winning districts for the first time while braving temperatures over 100 degrees, the women advanced to sectionals, and took on fellow Middle States teams from across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
“Sectionals was perhaps our greatest show of teamwork with an incredible run of wins to land us in first place with a 5-0 victory, winning 22 out of 25 total matches,” reflected player Ann Tracey.
This unprecedented win paved the way for Levittown to head to nationals.
“That in itself was a player’s dream just to make it to nationals because less than 2 percent of players actually go onto the national level. So we were just thrilled to be there,” Maresca said.
In Arizona, the team was one of 17 from across the country, including Puerto Rico. It was a surreal experience for Levittown, especially since only three of the 14 players had ever been to nationals (while playing for a different team).
“Our first match [on Friday] was a harbinger of things to come, hinging on a three-hour singles match that came down to a tiebreaker that ended in victory for us. Buoyed by that win, we played our evening match with more confidence, winning four of five courts,” Tracey said.
Levittown was among the top tour teams when Saturday morning arrived, but the women knew they needed another win to stay in the competition.
“Unfortunately, we found ourselves watching yet another three-hour singles tiebreaker in suspense, and this time, it didn’t go our way,” Tracey continued. “Assuming we were out of contention, we returned to our previous, ‘We’re just happy to be here’ state of mind for our evening match. The relaxed attitude must have worked because we took four out of five courts, knocking out the team just in front of us.”
As the fourth-place team on Sunday morning, Levittown knew it was still the underdog as it faced Puerto Rico.
“Traditionally, the states with all the sunshine – California, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico – they’re usually the teams that do really well because they can play so much more tennis. And we’re up against them,” Maresca said. “We were like, ‘We’re going to do our best and we’re going to have fun.’ ”
Once again, that “happy to have gotten this far” attitude came out, and Levittown captured the national title, thanks largely to singles player Stephanie Mockus.
“We found ourselves 2-2 yet again,” Tracey said. “She [Mockus] was down one set for 0-4 in the second, so it seemed like it was over, but with the whole team there to support her, she pulled off the upset in dramatic fashion. Fast-forward to the end of the second match, we were yet again 2-2 and watching Stephanie’s match with great anticipation.”
Though Mockus was practically running on empty after playing six matches in three days, she pulled off the final win, cementing her place as MVP of Levittown’s nationals run with six singles wins to her name.
“Overall, it was an amazing experience,” concluded Tracey. “And not just because we walked away with a title. Traveling together, living together and winning together has formed forever friendships and brought our team closer together.”
Maresca stressed that each woman on the team had a hand in Levittown’s victory – the epitome of a group effort.
“Traditionally, it’s really hard as a captain because you have a tendency to want to play all your strongest players, but everybody got to play, and everybody played more than once,” she said. “We won as a team, which makes it even that much more rewarding.”
She credited not only the women’s talent, but their “let’s just have fun” mindset for taking them all the way. In the end, Maresca said that’s what the team is all about.
“I try to keep it as low key as possible. We’re out there to have fun. A lot of people that play are usually those who have kids in school, or me, empty-nesters,” she explained. “There’s not a lot of opportunities for adults to play competitively. This is one of the few opportunities that adults actually get to have a good time.”
The team is captained by Maresca and Karen Holland and is comprised of Tracey, Mockus, Karen Hillis, Gloria Nelson, Dawn Keaton, Sherri Hammer, Anne Sherow, Tenaz Purdy, Glenna Czumbil, Regina Parissi, Patricia Reilly, Mary McCaffrey, Janet Van Mol, Dorothy Vereen, Katherine Hagestad, Rachel McGowan and Janet Belleran. It plays at the Frosty Hollow Tennis Center, 4503 New Falls Road, Levittown.
For information on the USTA, which boasts 310,000 players nationwide, visit usta.com. ••
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
