Kae Reed reaches for a backhand with Sharla Freeman in the finals on Oct. 27. Photo/Barbara Cooper

TUCSON, Ariz. – It came down to a tiebreaker to decide who would win the 4.0 division at the Meet, Play, Love tennis tournament on Oct. 27, with the Tahoe Tough team based in Zephyr Cove coming up short.

The eight women associated with Zephyr Cove Tennis Club reached the finals on Friday against a team based out of the Willamette Valley in Oregon.

Tahoe finished the three-day tournament in first place, having beaten the other eight teams in each contest. Two were 3-0, while six were 2-1. This meant Tahoe Tough won 18 of 24 individual matches.

The finals were a duel between the top two teams.

Christy Funk and Kathy Wharton in the finals for Tahoe Tough. Photo/Barbara Cooper

The lone winners in the final round for Tahoe were Kae Reed and Sharla Freeman who won 6-7, 6-1, 10-3. (A 10-point tiebreaker is played in lieu of a full third set.) Freeman went the whole tournament undefeated.

With the Oregon team winning the contest against the Tahoe duo of Kathy Wharton and Christy Funk 6-4, 6-1, it came down to the final court to decide who would leave the desert as champions.

Tricia Ward and Karen Diehl kept their opponents guessing most of the tournament. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The final match was a fierce battle until the end. After Oregon took the first set 6-1, Tahoe’s Tricia Ward and Karen Diehl took the second in a tiebreaker. The third set tiebreaker went to Oregon 10-3.

Rounding out the Tahoe team were Barbara Cooper and Becky Smothermon.

Also representing ZCTC were the Tahoe Blue Angels. They placed third in the 4.0-4.5 division. Players were Holly Rittiman, Joyce Youngs, Jenny Bentley, Claire Perry, Krista Kip, and Mona Smith.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report