Local tennis trio heads to Vegas for nationals

Middle States champions hope to bring back title

By: Bob Nuse
   Sean Lowery and Jim Peiffer have been there before.
   Zion Chen will be going for the first time.
   And this year, a whole bandwagon full of fans will make the trip as well.
   Lowery, a Plainsboro resident, is co-captain of the Pennsbury Lightning 3.5 tennis team in the USTA League. Last year he was captain of a team that advanced to nationals and included Peiffer, a West Windsor resident. This year he’s heading back to the 3.5 nationals after a roster overhaul that includes Chen, another West Windsor resident.
   "We had a good year last year, but we had to break up the seven players who were not rated up by the USTA because you can’t carry over more than three players from a team that reaches nationals," said Lowery, whose team finished second at nationals last year and is heading back after winning this year’s Middle States championship.
   Lowery and the team’s captain, Terry Schneider, have organized two teams. One plays out of Veterans Park in Hamilton and the other out of Pennsbury. They juggle players and are able to keep the teams organized. Some players play at the 3.5 level and others at the 4.0 level. Some play for the Vets Park team, others for the Pennsbury team.
   Lowery, Peiffer and Chen all wound up with the Pennsbury entry.
   "It was easier for us to go through the existing Philadelphia area team," Lowery said. "We basically have a sister relationship with them and we practice together a lot. We look for great people that are good tennis players. It doesn’t work if it is the other way around. If you can’t check your ego at the door and do what is best for the whole team, we don’t have a spot for you."
   In addition to the three Packet-area players, the team includes Mike Klein of Lawrenceville and Ralph Bencivengo of Hamilton, with the remainder of the roster coming from Pennsylvania.
   Peiffer was on the team with Lowery a year ago. This year he’s back, but most of the roster is filled with newcomers.
   "I’ve been in the area for three years and when I moved to New Jersey, I joined a team that year," Peiffer said. "I took up the game while we were living in Asia. It’s a great way to meet people. Sean and Terry do all of the recruiting. They organize the whole thing very well. They get started over the winter. They have a 4.0 team and a 3.5 team, so we always have plenty of people when it’s time to practice.
   "I play mostly doubles, but I can also play singles. We have two younger guys who have been playing a lot of singles this year and they do a nice job. They’ve got young legs."
   Chen has been playing tennis for more than 20 years. He’s had times when he’s played a lot and times he’s been away from the sport, but now he’s working back into a regular routine and enjoys being part of the Pennsbury team.
   "I’ve been playing on and off since I moved to West Windsor in 1985," Chen said. "I used to play a lot more, but I’ve been trying to get back into again. About four or five years ago I started to slow down a little but I’ve been back in a groove and playing more. I knew Sean from when I played before and he knew my game. He asked me to sign up and play and I thought it would be a lot of fun.
   "We have three or four good singles players and they usually take those spots. I have been playing doubles. One of the good things about our team is we have a lot of versatility on our roster. Guys can play singles or doubles. They use me for doubles, but I could play singles."
   All three players plan to be making the trip to Las Vegas for nationals, which will be held the first weekend in October. And the players won’t be the only ones on the trip. The team will have plenty of support.
   "One thing that has been very critical to our success is the support we get from our wives and girlfriends," Lowery said. "We actually call them the WAGS, which is Wives and Girlfriends. They’re very tolerant of our time on the court and the different times we need to get together for practices and matches.
   "This year we have a number player who also have kids, so we’ve changed it to KWAGS, Kids, Wives and Girlfriends. We actually have seven or eight wives or girlfriends who plan to come to nationals with us in Las Vegas."
   Peiffer enjoyed the experience of playing at nationals a year ago. And now he gets a chance to head back a year later.
   "I was with the team when we went to nationals last year in Tucson," he said. "Now this year we get to go to Las Vegas. The whole team is pretty excited. I got my company (AIG) to buy us shirts, so we all have matching shirts for when we go to nationals."
   Maybe the team will start to make the trip to nationals a regular occurrence. Lowery and Schneider certainly put plenty of time and effort into the league, going so far as to scout possible opponents for their matches at the sectional championships.
   "One thing we started last year is looking at the team from the point of view of it being a professional franchise," Lowery said. "The thinking was, what can we do that they can do while staying within all of our rules. I play in a lot of tournaments and I see people playing with or against me, so that helps us find players.
   "Our players range in age from 23 to 69. It’s a very colorful cast of characters that make up our team."
   The Lightning went undefeated and won their local league in Bucks County, then won the Philadelphia district before capturing the sectional title by going 4-1 in five matches. Next up will be a return trip to nationals, where they hope to continue what has been a very successful run.