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Caps host High School Sportsmanship Invitational

October 21, 2005 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Sacramento Capitals News Release


The second annual Sacramento Capitals High School Sportsmanship Invitational was held at the Spare Time Indoor Courts on October 15 in which six high schools participated. Each high school brought 9 division A players and 9 division B players to compete in the WTT format. Teams played 3 singles and 3 doubles with 5-game sets.

Let serves were played and even a super tiebreaker was utilized on one of the courts. "The matches went fast and some girls realized how hard it is to play well without the benefit of 2 out of 3 sets," said Loretto assistant coach Mary Combs. "The crowds joined their teams on the court and cheered for their girls. It was raucous and fun. The girls loved the format and want to play again next year. Perhaps we can add the boys next year and make it a true WTT format!"

The purpose of this tournament is to promote sportsmanship. Ben Combs, co-owner of the Sacramento Capitals, explained the importance of sportsmanship on the court and how it affects their life off the court. The schools were extremely competitive. Loretto's girls were voted best behavior on and off the court, and won the sportsmanship trophy. Parents and coaches were also part of the sportsmanship award.

Last year's Sportsmanship Trophy winners, Granite Bay High School, defeated Loretto in the final 22-20. It was a nail-biter to the end when the doubles teams played for the victory.

"It was an honor to play and be part of the Sacramento Capitals Sportsmanship Invitational," said Granite Bay High School coach Robin Eiland. "The event represents all the good things about tennis with the emphasis on sportsmanship. It also gives the kids an opportunity to understand how hard it is to play the WTT format of 5 games in a set. They had to be ready to play without the benefit of having 2 out of 3 sets to get it together. We were happy to compete against Loretto and pull it out by two games in the final."

The high school participants expressed their appreciation towards the Sacramento Capitals for sponsoring this fun event and want to return next year. Sacramento Capitals owners Ben Combs and Lonnie Nielson thanked Spare Time clubs for the indoor court hospitality.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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