The

Peachtree City Tennis Center has been the site of many

great matches and many outstanding players have graced

its courts, but never before has a team from the Tennis

Center won a state championship. Until now.

The adult

women's team, which plays in USTA 3.0 and is captained by

Sheila Van Fossan, recently won the state championship

and earned a berth in the USA League Tennis Sectional

Championships, which will be in Mobile, Ala. in July.

There are

11 women on the team, with ages ranging from 29-51.

Several of the women took lessons together and formed a

team. They frequently played against another team made up

of Japanese women who also took lessons together and

formed a team. The two teams combined and they entered

the Ladies League at the Tennis Center and won.

From there,

the team put together an amazing string of victories.

They captured the Southern Crescent championship, the

district championship and the state championship, leading

them to be one step away from entering the national

championships.

"We

just take it one match at a time," said Van Fossan.

"We don't think about playing for a state

championship; we look at it as just another game."

That

attitude seems to have worked so far. The ladies are very

humble about their success and are far more concerned

with being good teammates, playing good tennis and having

fun. Just not too much fun.

"I

couldn't belive some of the teams at the state

championship," Van Fossan said. "They were up

partying all night. We all went to bed early. We were

playing for a title in the morning." Other than

getting their much-needed rest, the team has no specific

pre-game rituals. They make team decisions

democratically, voting on lineup changes or anything that

directly affects the team. The relaxed environment has

kept the team successful.

"There

are several players on our team that could easily play

for other teams at a higher level," Van Fossan

explained. "They want to stay. Everybody likes each

other and makes equal sacrifices for the team." The

sacrifices include practicing nearly every day, making

the long road trips to matches and tournaments, playing

through injuries and putting the team before almost

everything else. Though it can seem arduous, their

winning attitude breeds success.

With their

success comes a reputation. First to notice were the

folks at the Tennis Center, who watched the team play its

home matches there. Next were the opposing teams, who

would see that they were the juggernaut's next opponents.

Soon, officials would make comments after victories,

assuring the team that there was something special about

the group, that its destiny was pre-ordained.

"There

have been a lot of things that have happened, where it

shouldn't have worked out and we should have lost, but we

didn't. There have been several injuries or mismatches

that never worked against us," Van Fossan explained.

"Now, we just wonder, where is it all going to

end?"

This team

isn't thinking about conclusions, though. Members are

focused on Mobile and being the best team in the South.

Soon they will start to practice in the heat and humidity

of the summer afternoons to prepare for the climate

during the tournament.

The women

on the team have had an amazing ride so far and they do

not want it to end. Not in Mobile and not without a

national championship.