Wednesday, March 26, 2014

LPRT 2014 California Regionals Preview

The Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) has released the draw for this weekend's LPRT California Regionals Tournament, and it's a complete draw of 32 players. Paola Longoria will once again try to extend her tournament winning streak, and she'll need to play five matches to do it.

There are interesting matches right off the hop with 8th seed Da'monique Davis up against former #1 Jacqueline Paraiso, 13th seed Maria Paz Muñoz against US National Doubles Champion Janel Tisinger, 15th seed Carla Muñoz versus 18th seed Jessica Parrilla, and 2nd seed Rhonda Rajsich facing former top 4 player Kristen Bellows.

Longoria's winning streak

Longoria's winning streak began in May 2011 at the Ektelon World Championships in New Orleans. Since then, Longoria has won every singles pro event she's entered. That's 29 Tier 1 or Grand Slam events and 2 satellite events, or 31 titles in a row.

Since May 2011, there have been three times someone other Longoria has won a women's pro event. In August 2011, Rajsich won the Texas Open; Longoria didn't play that event.

Tisinger won the 3 Wall Ball World Championships in Las Vegas in Septemeber of last year, which happened simultaneously with the Albierto Mexxicano de Racquetas event in Toluda, Mexico, so Longoria wasn't in Las Vegas.

Finally, the Paola Longoria Invitational tournament in Monterrey last December had a doubles event that Rajsich and Maria Jose Vargas won, as they defeated Longoria and Samantha Salas in the final.

Nevertheless, there have been few period of sporting excellence as great as Longoria's. Former racquetball great Heather McKay was a champion in squash prior to playing racquetball, and McKay's squash record was amazing, as she lost only twice over a period of 20 years.

Longoria has a ways to go before getting to that point, but at only 24 time is on her side.

Matches from Reseda can be viewed live via the LPRT Network with a tentatively beginning with the Round of 16 at 4 PM PDT on Friday. Certainly, the Quarterfinals will be broadcast from 9 AM PDT on Saturday.

2014 LPRT California Regionals
Reseda, California

Round of 32


1 Paola Longoria v. 32 Roxanne Rehling
16 Hailey Miller v. 17 Linda Scales

9 Cheryl Gudinas v. 24 Cecilia Orozco
8 Da'monique Davis v. 25 Jacqueline Paraiso

5 Cristina Amaya v. 28 Kelly Gremley
12 Adrienne Haynes v. 21 Sheryl Lotts

13 Maria Paz Munoz v. 20 Janel Tisinger
4 Samantha Salas Solis v. 29 Cheyenne Hayes

3 Maria Jose Vargas v. 30 Erika Manilla
14 Sofia Rascon v. 19 Carolina Luque

11 Aubrey Kirch v. 22 Michelle Key
6 Susana Acosta v. 27 Masiel Rivera

7 Frederique Lambert v. 26 Alexandra Herrera
10 Veronica Sotomayor v. 23 Maria Renee Rodriguez

15 Carla Munoz v. 18 Jessica Parrilla
2 Rhonda Rajsich v. 31 Kristen Bellows

Follow the bouncing ball….

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