Daniel Bolon avoids doubles partner Jaden Neuman, who goes high to return a shot, during Saturday’s Lima Area Tennis Association tournament at UNOH.
Jose Nogueras | The Lima News
Experience.
A number of familiar faces, with decades of time of the court, will be featured in the finals of the Lima Area Tennis Association doubles finals at UNOH at 10 a.m. today.
On the men’s side, Jerome Moenter and Evan Neuman battle Jeff Arthur and Chris England, and Esther and Ruby Bolon take on Mary Lou Roush and Toma Hainline in the women’s final.
Women
Battling a little vertigo and a little exhaustion Hainline, along with Roush, showed the signs of playing the younger duo of Maggie Fett and Delaney Dawson in a two-set, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) victory in the semifinals to make it to the finals.
Earlier in the day, Hainline and Roush ousted Kaitlyn Couch and Kaleigh Coffman 6-0, 6-0.
“If we combined our ages, we probably tripled those two,” said Hainline about the match against Fett and Dawson. “I have been fighting vertigo and didn’t know if I was going to play or not.”
This was the first two players have been paired together as doubles partners.
“We talked a little bit and didn’t lose too many down the middle,” said Roush, who has been a staple at LATA for years. “They got us just on their good play but we just pulled it out. With her (Hainline) serves and my serves we pulled it out. We were down in those tie breakers. Experience didn’t hurt.”
In the other semifinal, the Bolons, who had not played as a doubles team since making it to state in high school two years ago, had little trouble making it to the finals. Being the No. 1 seed, the Bolons received a bye in the first round and then downed Brenda Horvath and Jody Schaeffer in the semis, 6-1, 6-1.
It was evident the two had not spent much time together on the court when they lost the first game or when Ruby accidentally hit Esther in the back of the head with a serve but those missteps were few and far between for the Bath products who put on a dominating performance once the duo fell into a familiar rhythm.
“It took a few points but I think we got it together,” Esther Bolon said. “We had to knock some of the rust off. I just think we need to play our game and have fun and see what happens.
Esther Bolon plays tennis at Huntington University and Ruby is on the basketball team.
“Some of our grounds strokes were a little rough but we are getting used to each other again,” Ruby Bolon said.
Men
Throughout the last several doubles events, the youth has been prevalent in the finals but this year it is the veteran duo of Arthur and England and Newman and Moenter fighting for the doubles title.
Newman and Moenter, who were runners-up last year, received a first round bye and then downed Alex Gonzales and Mike Bauman, 6-1, 6-1 in their first round match and followed it up with a 6-0, 6-0 over Jaden Neuman and Daniel Bolon.
“It is always an honor and a pleasure to play with Jerome,” Newman said. “He is a Lima legend and still holds record at the University of Toledo, and he gets around and plays down south in Florida. Don’t let his age fool you. He is still a 25-year-old at heart and moves like it sometimes.
Newman said about some of the older players making it to the finals might be ‘just one of those years,” but added that experience does help.
“Experience he (Moenter) brings to the table definitely helps,” Neuman said. “The fact that he still has mobility is a big deal because experience without mobility is still a liability.”
England and Arthur opened play with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) win over Ezra Bolon and Seth Grieshop and then fended off Jacob Ramirez and Collin Welch 6-2, 7-5.
“Persistence and hanging in there,” Arthur said about the two wins today. “Those were two tough matches and we were keeping it in play as best we could. Both matches were tough and it took a while to get into a rhythm. The wind picked up.
“Those guys we are playing tomorrow are unbelievable. It will be a tough one.”
