Virginias Win Vas-Cas Women's Team Matches

 

Virginias Team wins 61st Virginias-Carolinas Women's Team Matches

By Arthur Utley for the VSGA

Related: Scoring | Carolinas Team Roster | Photos

ZION CROSSROADS, V.A. (July 19, 2017) –The Virginias team staved off a spirited rally by the Carolinas on the final day and claimed victory in the 61st Women’s Virginias-Carolinas matches at Spring Creek Golf Club.

The victory, the Virginias first since 2009, halted a seven-year losing streak. The Virginias won 81-63 after the Carolinas captured Wednesday’s singles matches 38½-33½.

The Virginias were victorious in the best-ball and modified alternate shot formats on Monday and Tuesday and led 47½-24½ going into the singles.

Each team is comprised of 24 players – 14 regulars, eight seniors and two super seniors. Three points are available per match: one each for winning the front nine, back nine and overall. There were 72 points up for grabs in the singles.

The Carolinas won 14 of the 24 matches. Cecily Overbey, Anna Redding, Lea Anne Brown and Pam Prescott picked up the maximum three points in their matches. Redding shot a 6-under-par 66 to defeat Adeena Shears, who shot 69. Five victorious Carolinians earned 2½ points in their matches.

Virginians Amanda Hollandsworth (Great Oaks CC), reigning VSGA Women’s Stroke Play champion; Natalie Easterly (CC of Virginia), current Senior Women’s Stroke Play and Senior Women’s Four-Ball (with Amy Ellertson) champion; Lindsay Wortham (CC of Virginia); Andrea Miller (Glenmore CC) and Bev Lane (Reston National GC) swept their opponents.

"This is so thrilling," said Kay Tyler (Springfield Golf & Country Club), non-playing co-captain along with team member Mary Cabriele (CC of Fairfax). "I was hoping we would win the singles too. I think we were a little nervous, but we finally got it, got it back. We’ve been working on this for almost a year trying to get this right."

Picking a team that could handle the tough Spring Creek layout were priorities for Tyler, Cabriele and VSGA staff members Matt Smiley and Amanda Braun. Ending the losing streak was, too.

"It’s always been a priority. It just hadn’t happened," Tyler said.

Now that it has, Tyler sees a streak going in the other direction.

"They (the Carolinas) are going to come back mad next year," she said. "There were a couple of little things. We were on bentgrass for the first time in a while; it’s our type of turf, not theirs. Things like that make a difference…We just had a great week."

Easterly earned the most points, 8½, for the Virginias. She was on the last winning team in 2009.

"Every year we give it our 100 percent. This year is no different. We just came out on top. We had our hearts in it just like we have in previous years. We had a feeling, I had a feeling, this might be our year," Easterly said.

None of the Virginias regulars had been on a winning team.

"This is a first. It’s really exciting. I feel like our team has good camaraderie, and it’s truly a team effort. It doesn’t matter if you get three points or if you are battling hard for your half point, everyone’s excited for you," said 2015 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Lauren Greenlief, who shot 68 to win her match 2-1.

Greenlief (International CC) is the reigning VSGA Women’s Amateur and Women’s Four-Ball (with Alex Austin) champion. She gave kudos to Tyler and Cabriele for engineering the victory.

"They are really thoughtful about who to pair with whom and whose going to be able to feed off their energy and who’s consistent, who can go make birdies. I think they had a game plan going in and they executed it."

Retired Richmond Times-Dispatch staff writer Arthur Utley is a frequent contributor to VSGA championship coverage.