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By Arthur Utley
ZION CROSSROADS – The Virginias team took a giant step toward ending a lengthy losing streak with a dominating performance on the second day of the 61st Women’s Virginias-Carolinas matches at Spring Creek Golf Club.
The Virginias swept the maximum haul of three points in seven of the 12 matches, scored 2½ points in two other matches and gained one point in a losing effort to win Tuesday’s modified alternate shot competition 27-9.
The Carolinas have won the annual team event seven years in a row but face a 47½-24½ deficit going into Wednesday’s final day of singles matches.
Each team is comprised of 24 players – 14 regulars, eight seniors and two super seniors. Three points are available per match: one each for winning the front nine, back nine and overall. There are 72 points up for grabs in the singles matches.
The Virginias team had not won a daily session in years before winning the best-ball format on Monday. Now, the team has claimed victory two days in a row and is taking aim at winning for the first time since 2009.
For the Pinehurst modified alternate shot format, each player on the two-person team hits their tee shot. Players hit their partner’s ball on the second shot. Then they choose the best ball and alternate shots until the ball is holed.
Virginias duos led by reigning VSGA tournament champions ignited the rout. VSGA Senior Women’s Amateur champ Mimi Hoffman (Belle Haven CC) teamed with Lindsay Wortham (CC of Virginia) to sweep Angela Stewart-Anne Washington, and recent VSGA Women’s Amateur winner Lauren Greenlief (International CC) paired with Jessie Merrill (Birdwood GC) to pick off three points from Sarah Bae-Courtney McKim.
Other sweeps were registered by VSGA Women’s Stroke Play champion Amanda Hollandsworth (Great Oaks CC) and NCAA Division III individual champion Christina Herbert (College Prep Golf Tour) who defeated Cecily Overbey-Anna Redding; two-time VSGA Senior Women’s Four-Ball champions Amy Ellertson (Farmington CC) and CC of Virginia’s Natalie Easterly (also the Senior Women’s Stroke play champ) who thumped Terrie Allemang-Susan Beaupied; Andrea Miller (Glenmore CC) and Katie Turk (Blacksburg CC) who beat Mary Chandler Bryan-Victoria Huskey; Adeena Shears (Parkersburg (W.Va.) CC) and Karishma Thiagaraj (Dominion Valley CC) who squeezed by Kayla Thompson-Lea Venable; and Alexandra Austin (Springfield G&CC) and Elizabeth Bose (Sewells Point GC), who crushed Hannah Craver-Emily Stinson. Austin teamed with Greenlief to win the VSGA Women’s Four-Ball last month.
Past two-time VSGA Women’s Amateur champion Abby Portyrata (First Tee of Greater Richmond) teamed with Mallory Hetzel (Sleepy Hole GC) to win 2½ points from Mary Katelyn Holanek-Abbey Hartsell, and past Senior Women’s Stroke Play champion Mary Cabriele (CC of Fairfax) paired with Bev Lane (Reston National GC) to earn the same number of points against Natalie Huff-Pam Prescott.
Carolinas tandems logging three points on Tuesday were Lea Anne Brown-Leigh Coulter who defeated Cindy Thompson-Linda DiVall, and Sarah Bertram-Jessica Spicer who beat Lyndsey Hunnell-Sirena Walsh.
Kim Briele-Patty Moore of the Carolinas defeated Joanne Kitusky-Boodie McGurn 2-1.
Retired Richmond Times-Dispatch staff writer Arthur Utley is a frequent contributor to VSGA championship coverage.