The women’s team from Arlington Heights, Ill., captured the national title at the USTA League 4.5 Senior National Championships held at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz., from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25.

The Arlington Heights team defeated a team from Altamonte Springs, Fla., 2-1 in the Championship match.  Earlier in the day, the Arlington Heights team defeated a team from Tucson, Ariz., 2-1 in the semifinals.  They advanced this far by winning their round-robin flight contested Friday and Saturday.

The team is captained by Mimi Paffrath and features Dawn Moller, Anne Suszko, Patrice Duffy, Ellen Holthaus, Janelle Lobmier, Diane Langert, Linda Traeger, Karen Rauh, Lisa Culp and Susy Tuthill and plays at the Heritage Racquet Club.

The top four teams in order of finish are: Midwest (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Florida (Altamonte Springs), Southern California (Irvine) and Southwest (Tucson, Ariz.).

This year’s USTA League 4.5 Senior National Championship has drawn the top 31 teams (16 men’s and 15 women’s) from throughout the nation.

Established in 1980, the USTA League program has grown from 13,000 participants in a few parts of the country in its first year, to over 711,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league.