Wednesday, May 13, 2015

2015 LPRT Pro Nationals Preview

The 2014-15 Ladies Professional Racquetball Tour (LPRT) season concludes this weekend with the LPRT Pro Nationals in Herndon, Virginia. Eleven of the top twelve players will be in action, although the overall draw is smaller than usual with only 18 players entered.

Nonetheless, LPRT #1 Paola Longoria will be trying conclude the season on win. This is the first season since 2010-11 that Longoria has not won all the events she’s entered, as she lost twice this year: once to LPRT #3 Rhonda Rajsich, which ended Longoria’s three and a half year winning streak, and once to Frédérique Lambert, LPRT #4. Longoria is a lock for her 6th LPRT #1 season ending title (and 4th consecutive title), but would certainly like to end the season on a high.

The other top ranking spots seem to be solid also. Maria Jose Vargas will end on a career high at #2, Rajsich #3 and Lambert will likely finish in 4th ahead of Samantha Salas, which would be a career high for her also. If Salas won Pro Nationals that could change, but anything short of that likely means Lambert will be 4th.

In the race for the US Team spots, Michelle Key, who 7th in the rankings, seems the odds on favourite to take the 2nd US Team spot; Rajsich will claim the 1st spot. That could mean Rajsich and Key will represent the USA at the Pan American Games in Toronto in July. If so, it will be the first Pan Am Games racquetball competition without Cheryl Gudinas, who was there the first time racquetball was included in the Games in 1995.

The action starts Friday morning. Matches can be viewed via the LPRT Livestream channel.

LPRT Pro Nationals
May 15-17, 2015, Herndon, Virginia

Round of 32
(seedings)

1) Paola Longoria - BYE
16) Gabriela Martinez v. 17) Andrea Martinez Gonzalez

9) Da'monique Davis - BYE
8) Sofia Rascon - BYE

5) Samantha Salas - BYE
12) Adrienne Haynes - BYE

13) Kimberly Thomas - BYE
4) Frédérique Lambert - BYE

3) Rhonda Rajsich - BYE
14) T. J. Baumbaugh - BYE

11) Susana Acosta - BYE
6) Cristina Amaya - BYE

7) Michelle Key - BYE
10) Cheryl Gudinas - BYE

15) Masiel Rivera v. 18) Amie Brewer
2) Maria Jose Vargas - BYE

Follow the bouncing ball....

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