In the PCVG tournament, new team Paulina Stropp and Bill Cason won their first doubles title together.
Paulina Stropp not only won her first pickleball medal, but she also accomplished so in her first tournament.
“This was my first time playing in a tournament,” Stropp said. “It was fun. It was great.”
Stropp, of the Village of Hillsborough, and her partner Bill Cason, of the Village of Pine Hills, earned the gold medal in the 3.5 mixed doubles event at the Pickleball Community Volunteer Group’s monthly championship at Rohan Regional Recreation Complex. The gold medalists on the 4.5/5.0 courts were Jayme Cordie of the Village of Pine Hills and Ralph Jones of the Village of Summerhill.
Cason, like his teammates, had little tournament experience in the 3.5 division, having only competed in one before.
This was not just the pair’s first event together, but also their first appearance on the court together. When they’re both at Colony Cottage Regional Recreation Complex, they play against each other, but they’ve never played doubles together. Despite their lack of experience as a team, they were crowned champions. In the final round, the couple defeated Dan Civitarese and Dianne Schultz 15-9.
Cason and Stropp dominated the title match from the start. During the first half of the game, the team created a 7-2 lead. Civitarese and Schultz, on the other hand, did not go away. They got within four points of Cason and Stropp before the eventual champions put them away.
The title game demonstrated how well the two worked together as a unit. If necessary, Cason and Stropp altered plans for each opponent throughout the final round match.
“She has a style. I have a style,” Cason said. “It kind of compliments each other, then we make adjustments as we see fit as we see the opponent.”
Cason and Stropp qualified for the playoffs after going 6-1 in the first round of the event. The team was seeded second and defeated eventual bronze medalists Sheryl Boyer and Jeff Edwards in the semifinals 11-2.
The 4.5/5.0 tournament provided plenty of thrilling action as well. Cordie and Jones have a 4.5 rating and have defeated several 5.0 teams on their road to the crown.
Cordie and Jones won the championship round 15-10 over Gary M. Miller and Lydia Willis. Cordie and Jones got off to a flying start, taking a 7-2 lead. Willis and Miller took a timeout and battled back, going on a 7-3 run to reduce the lead to 13-10.
The comeback attempt was thwarted by Cordie and Jones, who scored the following two points. The duo, who frequently collaborate, acknowledged sticking to their approach as the reason they were able to stave off Miller and Willis, as well as their overall success.
“Depending on the team we have two strategies,” Cordie said. “One, we play more conservative, but we play the whole team. Against a stronger team, we go with the two-against-one strategy.”
Cordie and Jones employed this tactic in the finals. The technique comprises keeping the ball directed at one of the other team’s players in order to deplete their stamina and make the game more difficult for them.
Unlike the 3.5 tournament, there were more than three medal winners in the 4.5/5.0 tournament. While Cordie and Jones won the top overall gold medal, Miller and Willis took home the gold medal for the 5.0 teams.
Although Jana Spano and Brad Wahrendorf finished third overall, they took silver in the 5.0’s. For the 5.0 teams, Diane Bock and Rick Langford took bronze.
Andrea Bobby and Steve Campbell took silver in the 4.5 team event, while Jeannie Stahl and Paul Hudanich took bronze.
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun
