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Sunday, May 25, 2003

This has been a spring to remember for the Riske sisters -- Sarah, a senior at Vanderbilt University, and Alison, a sixth-grader at Peters Township Middle School.

Sarah, an All-American in singles and doubles this year, reached the second round of the singles and the quarterfinals in the doubles at the NCAA Division I women's tennis championships at the Ring Tennis Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Sarah defeated Virginia's Jennifer Tuchband, 6-3, 7-6 (3), in the first round and lost to Kentucky's Sarah Witten, 6-3, 6-3, in the second.

Riske had a 25-10 record in singles this season and finished her career with 102 match victories.

Riske and teammate Aleke Tsoubanos, seeded third in doubles, were ousted in the quarterfinals by Florida's Jennifer Magley and Zerene Reyes, 6-3, 6-2, They had advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory against Southern California's Jewel Peterson and Tiffany Brymer.

Riske and Tsoubanos were 32-8 this season and completed their careers with a school-record 109 victories.

While Sarah was enjoying success at the NCAA tournament, Alison learned she is ranked No. 1 in the country in the Girls' 12s division by the United States Tennis Association. She is No. 48 in Girls' 14s.

Campus courts

Seton Hill University's women's program is on the upswing, and the men's program is preparing for its inaugural season in 2003-04. Both teams are coached by Tim Creamer.

Ashley Harrold, a sophomore from Greensburg Salem High School and first-team All-American Mideast Conference, led the women to a 3-5 record and 2-3 in the AMC after going 0-10 in 2001-02.

* The Robert Morris No. 1 men's doubles team of Mhamed Mekaoui and Mamoun El Kettani, both from Casablanca, Morocco, were named to the Northeast Conference All-Conference second team.

Are 40s going for 10?

Less than 48 hours after the National men's 40 Indoor Championships completed its ninth consecutive year at the Oxford Athletic Club in Monroeville, the question was asked: Will it be back for No. 10?

Ethel Hansen, the director of marketing and sponsorship who has been with the tournament from the beginning, said the powers-to-be are going to catch their breath and meet in July to make a decision.

"I think we will go ahead," Hansen said. "We're very fond of the tournament."

She paused before adding with a smile, "We do know what we're doing."

So does Val Wilder, a lean Texan who won his fourth consecutive singles title with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 victory against Gilbert Schuerholz in the championship match Wednesday.

"I've got to come back," Wilder said with a smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

Wilder, who will be eligible for the 45s competition next year, is lobbying for the club to play host to both the 40s and 45s in 2004.

"Yeah, sure," Hansen said, laughing. "What's he want to do, kill us?"

The top four seeds reached the semifinals in the singles.

"We're really proud of that. Seedings set the stage for the best players to play the best matches at the end," Hansen said. "That makes for a great tournament."

Hansen and the other members of the committee who are so instrumental in making sure the tournament runs smoothly are volunteers.

"We're still committed," she said. "But bringing in sponsorship varies year by year. We're trying to find ways to have a 10th year. Everything will be batted around. Every year has its own sets of challenges and issues."

When asked if the tournament might move to the Oxford Athletic Club North, Hansen said without hesitation, "That's not an option. There are fewer courts at the North club."

Although the tournament isn't a money-maker, Hansen said, "We've been able to keep the finances stable."