Local tennis team advances to national championship

Recently a local tennis team playing out of the Horne Family Tennis Center at Oglebay Park won the USTA Middle States Sectional Tournament at the Men's 3.0 level to advance to the National Championship.

The three-day tournament culminated Sunday at the Veteran's Park Tennis Complex in Princeton, NJ, with the Valley Boyz finishing on top of a field of teams stretching from Western PA to Delaware and NJ.

The victory qualifies the Boyz for the National Championship to be contested in Surprise, AZ, October 13-15.

The third time was a charm for this group as two previous trips to Princeton ended in disappointment. The team consists largely of players who started playing the game during the pandemic as tennis was one of few activities that continued in the spring of 2020. As their skills improved with clinics and lessons, they started playing matches with long-time members of the Wheeling Oglebay Tennis Club.

Some of the members suggested forming a Men's 3.0 team to play competitively and the journey began.

The team is captained by JT Thomas of Wheeling and has been playing in the Allegheny Mountain District for the past three seasons. They qualified for the Sectional tournament by virtue of winning league play which consists largely of teams from the Pittsburgh area. "We just have a great group of guys that really enjoy competing with and being around each other. Winning is always sweet, but the fun we have together is worth the trip," Thomas said. "We didn't really know what to expect on our first trip to Princeton, but after the whoopin' we received in 2021, we decided to get better and try to actually win this thing!"

Alfred Valle, originally from San Jose, Costa Rica. but now residing in Bellaire, OH, commented, "This is a country of nearly 350 million people, and we are in a select few going to Nationals!! My family is going to be so proud." The Valley Boyz won 4 of 5 matches in Princeton and accumulated enough points during the tournament to come out on top of the field. It was a team effort in Princeton, and they expect much of the same in Surprise, AZ, in mid-October.