Two in a Row for Muller and van Tassel-Cromie

March 13-14, 2019
Summit, NJ

Congratulations to defending champions Shauna Muller and Patty VanTassel-Cromie for winning their second consecutive APTA Women’s B National Championship on Thursday, March 14 at Beacon Hill Club in Summit, NJ.  Patty and Shauna defeated Meredith Stravato and Mary Truslow in a close and hard-fought final, 6-3, 6-4.

 In only the event’s second year, B Nationals and the entire circuit of National B Ranking tournaments has proven to be exceedingly popular with club players throughout the country. Tournament Director Greg Morgan, who is also the Director of Racquets at host club Beacon Hill, commented, “The field is so deep in terms of talent these days.  The No. 1 seeded team of Muller and VanTassel-Cromie almost got knocked out in the first round by the very talented Barb Miles and Susannah Nadjek, but managed to survive, 7-6, 7-5, and here they are in the final against an unseeded pair who are playing in their very first tournament together. That really speaks to the depth of the women’s club-level in today’s game.”

 Beacon Hill Club Head Racquets Pro Steve Caccam added that support from the local paddle community was critical to hosting an event of this size.“We attracted 106 ladies from 43 clubs in eight states who played 118 matches in seven brackets at 10 different sites over two days.  We’re blessed that there is so much support for paddle here. Within just a few miles of here (Beacon Hill), we’ve got the venerable Short Hills Club so close by and Canoe Brook Country Club practically across the street, plus all the clubs in Chatham and other nearby towns.  The state-wide women’s league, NJWPTL, even lent a strong hand by providing a small army of that we could deploy as volunteer hut commanders.”

 The Beacon Hill Club paddle hut was definitely rockin’ throughout the afternoon as the club hosted a hut party for players and their guests while the main draw quarterfinals and semifinals were played. Things really started to kick in to a higher gear when several competitors, many of whom had already played their customary three matches, decided to test drive the legendary Beacon Hill Club “Shotski”. At all times, there was a professional bartender on hand to dispense the adult beverages in a responsible manner.  The party went on for another two hours after the last match of the day ended, at which time a few dozen players continued the celebration at local favorite Summit watering hole, Huntley Taverne.

 Day two action was comprised of some semifinal matches and all of the finals.  Here are all of the final results:

Main Draw:  Shauna Muller/Patty Van Tassel-Cromie (1) def. Meredith Stravato /Mary Truslow
Quarter Reprieve:  Andrea Coughlin / Sam Schneider def. Andrea Portnoy/Kate Schneider (2)
R16 Reprieve:  Thea Dolan/Janet Linehan def. Patty McDonald / Jen Nielsen
Reprieve:  Brenda Colvin/Kathy Sprague def. Abigail Burke/Jill Klaffky
Reprieve Consolation:  Kim Amirata /Wendy Foley def. Abigail Harris/Nindy Pike
Consolation:  Gina Martin/ Kristen Swenson def. Marla Kearney/Beth Madsen
Consolation Reprieve:  Carolyn Badenhausen/Pam Baione d. Lesley Stiska/Kathryn Volker

Final Draw 

 Special thanks to all of the host clubs and PPTA pros:  Beacon Hill Club (Greg Morgan and Steve Caccam), Canoe Brook Country Club (Drew Broderick), Echo Lake Country Club (Marius Stan ), Fairmount Country Club (Blake Anderson), Minisink Club (Connor Breen), Montclair Golf Club (Brett Kraft and Spider), Morristown Field Club (Bobo Delaney), Noe Pond Club (Jill Feher), Short Hills Club (Dave Broderick and Vanessa Petrini), and Spring Brook Country Club (Steve DeRose).