Chattanooga Rotary Tennis This Weekend

[bbb]

Rotary Tennis Salutes Lee Murray

 

Tourney Director To Retire

 

Rich sports traditions abound in April as the Masters, the start of another baseball season and the talent- laden Chattanooga Rotary prep tennis tournament are high on the sports menus for many sports fans.

 

And as storied a history as Rotary tennis has - the 53rd tourney begins Friday morning at Baylor, GPS and McCallie with 32 teams from four states vying for four team titles - the catalyst to its longevity, popularity and high quality rests on the more than adequate shoulders of retiring tournament director Lee Murray..

 

Murray will arrive just past dawn on Friday at the Baylor tennis center - site of the A Division competition for boys and girls - for the 23rd and last time, and with little fanfare, will conduct his duties as director for the next two days.

 

???I agreed to be the assistant director (to director Bob Lyons) in 1986 and I have been here ever since,'' said Murray. ???It's been fun to be part of this great tournament, but I feel it is time to let others take the reigns.''

 

Opening matches are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at Baylor (A Division for Boys and Girls), at GPS (B Division Girls) and McCallie (B Division Boys).

 

The format is 8-player brackets for six singles and three doubles in each division. Friday's schedule shows quarterfinals and semifinals in singles, followed by quarters in doubles in the late afternoon.

 

Singles finals are set for Saturday morning, followed by semis and finals in doubles. Teams receive one point for each win.

 

Murray will pass the baton, or more appropriately, clipboard, tournament manual, draw sheets and a wealth of knowledge to fellow Rotarians Jack Webb, who played in the Rotary in the early 1970s for McCallie, and Ward Nelson who have agreed to be co-directors for 2010.

 

???We cannot replace Lee ??????" not sure anyone can ??????" but we will learn from him and do our best to carry on the great Rotary tournament tradition,'' said Nelson.

 

According to Murray, a partner at Competition Athletic Surfaces, he sends out invitations in the fall and then spends one very intense week in running the event.

 

???I have some great volunteers which run the various tournament sites and we all work together to make this a fun, competitive event for the players and coaches,'' Murray stated.

 

Looking back on two decades plus of The Rotary, the 56-year-old Akron, Ohio native mentioned a couple of highlights.

 

"It's a lot of fun to see the kids from this tournament go on and play at the college level,'' he said. ''But the real highlights are when the kids and coaches come by on Saturday and thank us for running the tournament. This makes all the hard work worthwhile.''

 

For all that Murray has meant to one of the South's finest prep tournaments, there should be a myriad of handshakes, pats on the back and well deserved thanks yous by late Saturday afternoon.

 

Food and T-Shirts: Players receive a tournament t-shirt (started in 1986 by former director Bob Lyons) and Subway sandwiches.

 

???The complementary t-shirt was to be a one time thing in 1986, but over the years it has become free advertising for the tournament and Rotary International all over the South,'' stated Murray. ???Providing sandwiches is also a plus and makes it easy on the out-of-town teams who would otherwise have to go off site for food.''

 

Coaches Quotes: ''Lee has put in countless hours of work for the benefit of junior players for as long as I have been coaching at GPS. The Rotary is one of the finest high school tournaments in the South and all the credit goes to Lee and his volunteers.'' -- GPS coach Sue Bartlett

 

"Lee Murray has done an outstanding job in running the Chattanooga Rotary. It is a thankless job, that requires a lot of work, and Lee has done it with the utmost enthusiasm and care. The players and coaches from all over the South love this tournament, and I get questions about it all the time. All of that is a credit to Lee and his group of volunteers and the support of the Chattanooga Rotary."

-- McCallie coach Eric Voges

 

Rotary Volunteers

 

Baylor - Lee Murray, Jack Webb, Scott Mattice, Charlie King, Hal Robinson, Ward Nelson, Tom DeCosimo, Mike St. Charles, Hugh Morrow, Doug Dyer.

 

GPS - Steve Watson, Pat Neuhoff, Betty Lynn, Lynn Smith, Vance Travis, Jay Robinson, Shawn K-Lee, Donna McConnico, Geoff Young, Martin Summitt.

 

McCallie - Dan Mayfield, Bob Franklin, Don Kent, Rob Taylor, Kemper Harr, Hugh Sharber, Greg Eaves, Chistie Sell.

 

2009 Tournament:

 

Boys A Division: Defending Rotary and state champion McCallie is the pre-tournament favorite, but will face strong competition from Randolph (Ala.), MBA and St. Xavier (Ky.), among others.

 

???We have not been on the court much this spring (3-0 in dual matches), so that could be a factor, but we have have six senior starters which hopefully will make a difference,'' said McCallie coach Eric Voges, who won the 1981 Rotary at No.1 singles for the Blue Tornado.

 

Randolph, with four returning starters, is defending Alabama state champ (1A-3A) and has top seeds at Nos.1 and No.2 in Dan Richardson (3.9 GPA) and Anthony Lioce, respectively. Randolph won the 2008 state sportsmanship award.

 

No.1 seeds: Dan Richardson (Randolph), Anthony Lioce (Randolph), Sawyer Voges (McCallie), William Disterdick (McCallie), Davis Thrailkill (MBA), Jameson Seiffert (St. Xavier)

 

Boys B Division: Two-time defending Tennessee state champ Science Hill (AAA) with top seed Chris Smith (2008 AAA state runner-up), and Vestavia Hills with top seeds at Nos. 3-4-5 are at the top of the list to battle for the B crown.

 

No.1 Seeds: Chris Smith (Science Hill), Hunt Magee (Univ. School Jackson), Austin Wang (Vestavia Hills), Chris Livingston (Vestavia Hills), Leo Richard (Vestavia Hills), Hayden Holbrook (Science Hill).

 

Girls A Division: Defending Rotary champ Vestavia Hills and runner-up GPS. The Bruisers have lost three-time state champ Claire Bartlett (now at U. of Virginia), but has a solid team led by Sarah Evans (No.1), Meredith Morrow and Ann Elizabeth Holley. Vestavia Hills is defending Alabama state champion, while GPS was D-II (large school) champs.

 

No.1 Seeds: Cameron Richard (Vestavia Hills), Lauren Levant (Vestavia Hills), Ellie Hammons (Lone Oak), Avery King (Vestavia Hills).

 

Girls B Division: Huntsville shared the 2008 Rotary B title with Walker and was third in the state behind Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook. Huntsville (7-0) is young (only one senior, plus two ninth graders and one seventh grader in the top six) but will be strong.

 

No.1 Seeds: Kati Baker (Spain Park), Anna Brown (Huntsville), Kylie Tillett (Lone Oak), Katherine Walker (Huntsville), Lauren Schroeder (Spain Park), Katie Deal (Science Hill).

 

Name: Originally called the Southern Interscholastic Tennis Tournament, and later the Southern Prep Rotary Tournament ... the Chattanooga Rotary has sponsored the event from the start ??¦ the late Alex Guerry was the first tournament director followed by, among others, Tommy Bartlett, Joe King, Wig Robinson, Cindy Kemp Light, and Lyons prior to Murray.

 

First Year: In 1957, the first tournament had a prep school division and a high school division, won by McCallie and Meridian (Miss.), respectively ??¦ 15 teams from six Southern states ??????" Tenn., Ga., Miss., Ala., La. And Ky.

 

First Champs: In the prep division, McCallie's Hugh Maclellan won the No.1 singles title and teamed with Charlie Moore for the doubles crown ... Ernest Cox (McGill H.S. in Mobile, Ala.) won the high school singles title, while Meridian's Johnny McQuann and Philip George were the best in doubles.

 

Records: (A Division)

 

Championships:

 

Boys - Baylor (28), McCallie (15), Westminster (5), MBA (3), Greenville, S.C., 3), St. Xavier (Ky., 1), Meridian (Miss., 1), McGill (Ala., 1), Belton (S.C., 1), Mountain Brook (Ala., 1), Christ Church Episcopal (S.C., 1) ??¦ totals include the high school division winners, 1957-1972.

 

Consecutive Titles: 10 - Baylor (1980-1989) ??¦ 9 - Baylor (1966-74) ... 3 - Westminster (1959-60-61), McCallie (1963-64-65; 1975-76-77), Baylor (1991-92-93)

 

Girls (41) - GPS (12), Marist (8), Baylor (7), Harpeth Hall (5) Westminster (3) , Mountain Brook (Ala., 2), Webb (2), Greenville (S.C., 1), Lone Oak (Ky., 1)

 

Consecutive Titles: 5 - GPS (1981-85), Baylor (1989-1993) ??¦ 4 - Marist (1994-97; 2000-03)

 

Singles: 6 - Zan Guerry (Baylor; 1962-67)

 

3 - Doug Stewart (Anniston, Ala., 1958-59-60), Charlie Owens (Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1966-67-68)

 

2 - Chris Brown (Notre Dame), Roscoe Tanner (Baylor), Pem Guerry (Baylor), Mel Purcell (Murray, Ky.), John Corse (Westminster), Mark Styslinger (Baylor), Chris Woodruff (Knox. Bearden), Eddie Coates (Bradley Central), Bo Seal (Baylor)

 

Doubles: 5 - Zan Guerry (Baylor, 1962-64, 66-67) ... Guerry won with Jay Reynolds, Peter Parrott, David Deadrick and Tony Ortiz, twice.

 

3 - Pem Guerry-Wes Cash (Baylor, 1973-74-75) ??¦ John Pickens (Tuscaloosa County, 1961-62-63 ??¦ partners were Jack Jackson (twice) and Tom Kendall.

 

Singles: 3 - Shannon McCarthy (Marist, 1985, 1987-88), Audra Brannon (Hixson, 1988-89-90 - in ???B'' Division)

 

2 - Laura Duffy (GPS), Kappie Clark (GPS), Susan Hill (Red Bank), Wendy White (Westminster), Natalie Frazier (Marist), Brooke Cordell (Baylor), Brandi Cordell (Baylor), Claire Bartlett (GPS)

 

Doubles: 3 - Caroline Thompson (Marist, with Molly Rollaver, Kristina Donehew, Aimee Smith); Kristina Donehew (Marist; with Caroline Thompson, Courtney Rollaver, twice)

 

NCAA Champions: George Dickinson (Univ. of Chattanooga, singles), Charlie Owens (Samford, singles) and Roscoe Tanner (Stanford, doubles ) ... all played in the Rotary tournament.

 

Divisions: The Rotary started with boys prep and high school divisions; 1957-1972 ??¦ added a girls prep division in 1968 ??¦ went to A and B divisions in boys and girls in 1973 ... have also had a boys C division ??¦ four divisions in 2009.

 

Locations: 9 - over the years matches have been played at Baylor, Brainerd, Fairyland Club, GPS, Hixson Racquet Club, Manker Patten, McCallie, Sewanee and UTC.

 

Co-Champs Four Times: two boys teams have shared the title on four occasions ??¦ 1969 ??????" Westminster and Greenville tied for the high school title ??¦ 1997 ??????" Baylor and MUS (12 pts.) ??¦ 1998 ??????" McCallie, Baylor (16 pts.) ??¦ 1999 ??????" Baylor, St. Xavier (16 pts.)

 

Marist Dynasty ??¦ Marist won 12 state Georgia state titles (1995-2006) and won seven Rotary crowns in that span ??¦ Marist's first of eight Rotary title came in 1994, a year before its march through the Peach State.

 

Future Pros - many have gone on from the Rotary to play on the pro tour ??¦ a few names include Zan Guerry, Roscoe Tanner, Brian Gottfried, Chris Woodruff, Mel Purcell, Charlie Owens.

 

Highlights:

 

50 Years Ago: 1959 - Westminster wins its first of three straight in the prep division ??¦ Greenville S.C. wins its first of two titles in the high school division ??¦ Charles Benedict (Westminster) and Doug Stewart (Anniston) are singles winners.

 

40 Years Ago: 1969 - The first co-champions ??????" Westminster and Greenville, S.C. - are crowned in the high school division ??¦ Baylor wins its fourth of nine straight in the prep division and GPS beats Westminster.

 

30 Years Ago: 1979 ??????" McCallie edges Baylor, 20-19, as Eric Voges and Ted Lathem (1980 state doubles winners) clinched the win at No. 3 doubles ??¦ Harpeth Hall wins its first of five over the next decade ??¦ Ken Hirsch (Lovett) and Margie Brown (Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett) claim No.1 singles ??¦ Baylor's Mark Styslinger-Bayly Taff take doubles along with Liz Jamison-Kathy Denton.

 

20 Years Ago: 1989 - Baylor girls win their first team title in just its third year of existence ??¦ Lori Smith (singles) and Lori Ann Freedman-Lori Smith (doubles) are winners for the Red Raiders ??¦ Chris Woodruff (Knox. Bearden), who would later be ranked as high as 29 on the ATP tour, wins his first of two Rotary singles crowns (1989, 1991).

 

10 Years Ago: 1999 ??????" Baylor and St. Xavier (Ky.) tie with 16 points ??¦ third straight years with a tie in the Boys A Division ??¦ Baylor wins in the girls as Brooke Cordell takes her second crown ??¦ William Boyles (McCallie) wins for the boys.

 

Other Highlites:

 

1963 - Westminster wins the first of two high school division crowns after three titles in the prep division

 

1968 - A girls division is created and GPS wins all six singles and three doubles ??¦ Laura Duffy wins the first of two singles titles ??¦ Baylor and Roscoe Tanner win in the prep divisions, while Charlie Owens (Tuscaloosa) wins his third singles and Greenville, S.C. captures its second of three championships.

 

1970 - Baylor wins the boys title as David Dick and Joe Garcia-Dick are champs ??¦ Baylor wins its third national title in four years; 1967, 1969-70.

 

1972 - Baylor boys score 35 of a maximum 36 points ??¦ Red Raider champs are David Dick (singles) and Dick and Buzz Willett (doubles).

 

1975 - Baylor's Wes Cash and Pem Guerry win their third straight doubles title .. only team to date in Rotary history to do so.

 

1977 - Girls: In the No.1 finals, Wendy White (Westminster) hands three-time state champ Susan Hill (Red Bank) her only singles loss in high school ??¦ White will also win in 1978 ... Susan and sister, Carolyn, win at No.1 doubles.

 

1978 - Westminster has singles champs in John Corse and Wendy White as well as the girls team title.

 

1980s - Baylor boys dominate the decade with 10 crowns.

 

1990 - McCallie ends Baylor's 10-year reign ??¦ Van Van Lingen (Brentwood Academy) takes singles crown ??¦ Baylor is girls team winner and Deena Raja (Harpeth Hall) is top individual winner.

 

1993 - ''Let It Snow ..'' ??¦ Rotary has snow for the first time on Friday April 3 ??¦ Singles champs are Tommy Thomas (Lovett) and Lorraine Bittles of Brentwood Academy (No.1 in the South, No.11 in nation) ??¦ Baylor sweeps team titles.

 

1995 - MBA wins first of three titles ... McGugin brothers, Dan and Bill claim first of two doubles titles.

 

1998 - Bo Hodge of Athens Academy win singles ??¦ ranked No.6 in boys 16s.

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net

 

also posted on chattanoogan.com