The WPPTA has reached the holiday break with 11 out of 18 weeks in the season having been played. Division leaders are starting to establish themselves and teams are jockeying for playoff positions and challenge spots.
Division 1
No surprises here, as the public teams are again dominating play, holding 4 of the top 5 spots in the league. Currently at the top is Upper St. Clair Township 1, having won 86.5% of their sets. John Nichols (10-0) and Tyler Noland (10-0) both have undefeated records so far and no one on the team has lost more than 1 match. In 2nd place sits North Park 1 at 81.2%. They also have 2 unbeaten players, Tom Wiese (10-0) and Jeff McMaster (8-0), and the remaining players on the team all have only 1 other loss. USC1 and NP1 played to a 5-5 tie in their 1st meeting of the year, and there is no reason to believe they won’t finish the season with the top 2 spots in the league.
Mt. Lebanon 1 has a solid grip on 3rd place with 72.5%. Leading ML1 in wins is John Moyer with a record of 9-0 having won a match at all 4 lines this year, and Scott McFaden (8-3). Edgeworth Club 1 is currently in 4th place at 52.5% with a balanced attack that sees Bill Dollard, Ross Kraus, Mike Burger and Trevor Heck all having 6 match wins on the season.
Mt. Lebanon 2, with 49.5%, is in 5th place, the highest spot they’ve held this late in the season in recent memory. Known for annually winning their challenge matches to stay in Division 1, this year the team has visions of PLAYOFFS. ML2 is lead in wins by Scott Kahler (7-4), with Drew Shields, Chuck Vietmeier, and Dave Happe all having 5 victories on the season.
The final 2 playoff spots are held by Fox Chapel Golf Club 1 (39.4%), lead by John Mah’s 6-4 record and Mt. Lebanon 3 (37.0%), lead by Albert Veverka and Jimmy Rebisa, both of whom have 5 wins on the season. They are closely being chased by Pittsburgh Field Club 1 (33.7%)and Longue Vue Club (32.6%).
Division 2
The top half of division 2 is a log jam, with 6 out of the 10 teams in the league having won more than 50% of their sets. Fox Chapel Racquet Club 1 (58.3%) is currently in 1st place, followed by Mt. Lebanon 4 (57.9%) and Edgewood Country Club 1 (54.8%). Just outside of the challenge positions are Sewickley YMCA 1 (54.2%), Edgeworth Club 2 (52.4%), and Fox Chapel Golf Club 2 (51.9%). Determining which teams get the opportunity to challenge up into Division 1 next year will certainly come down to the wire with so much parity in the league.
Division 3-7
The following teams are currently leading their respective divisions at this point in the season. Division 3: Upper St. Clair Township 2 (79.5%), Division 4: North Park 4 (67.3%), Division 5: Fox Chapel Racquet Club 3 (68.6%), Division 6: Shannopin Country Club 3 (67.7%), and Division 7: North Park 6 (89.6%).
