Tennis for Seniors

Local Women’s Tennis Team Advances to USTA National Championships in Arizona

Blue Point, NY – A 55+ women’s USTA League tennis team representing Eastern Athletic Club in Blue Point has made history this season by advancing to the USTA League National Adult 55 & Over 7.0 Women’s Championship, to be held Halloween weekend (October 31–November 2, 2025) in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The team, captained by Jackie Mazzarone of Sayville, earned their spot at Nationals after an extraordinary run through playoffs and sectional competition. The women first clinched the USTA Regional Championship on August 21, 2025, before going on to capture the USTA Eastern Sectional Championship on September 12, 2025, in New Jersey. There, they dominated the tournament, winning all five of their matches against the top teams from across the Eastern region.

“Our team has shown such determination, grit, and camaraderie this season,” said Captain Mazzarone. “It’s an honor to represent Long Island and the entire Eastern Division at Nationals.” All players hail from Long Island and train at Eastern Athletic Blue Point.

The championship roster includes: Captain Jacqueline Mazzarone (Sayville), Nancy D’Amato(Commack) Deborah Choma(Manorville), Dawn Hellman(Sayville), Kathleen Houghtaling(Bayport), Barbara Damenti (East Setauket),Kathleen Kenneally(Manorville), Christine Tyson(Sayville),Cathy Stephan(Sound Beach), Dawn Young(Sayville),Donna LoCascio (Huntington), Dianne Romano(East Patchogue), Christine Rupp {Sayville), Julie Mischo (Bayport), Deborah Chambers (Sayville).

With their sights now set on the National stage, the team is preparing to compete against the country’s best USTA 55 & Over teams.It is very rare for an Eastern team to win Nationals as the competition hails from 365-day tennis weather areas like Hawaii, California, and Florida. However, the team is taking advantage of every nice weather day on Long Island from now until the tournament!

Seniors Who Want to Learn Tennis! Tennis has been proven to add as many as ten years to a person’s life. The team would like to encourage more people over 55 to play tennis. Eastern Athletic in Blue Point offers “learn and play” programs for all adults, and the team wants to help local seniors get started! Funds raised will also go toward helping seniors begin their tennis journey.

If you know of a local senior interested, please reach out to us via this page and we will add you to the list. After the team’s National tournament, we will randomly choose participants for the “learn and play” program and pay for their program fee.

For more information about the USTA League and its national championship events, visit www.usta.com.