Amy Acerra, whose pool-shooting career includes a victory over Janet Atwell on the Southeast Amateur Ladies Tour, back at the turn of the century, opened the Sport 9 Ladies Tour with an undefeated victory on the weekend of April 2-3. The $500-added event drew a short field of 11 entrants to Meucci Family Billiards in Byhalia, MS.
Accera advanced through to a winners' side semifinal versus Tina Frederick, as Patty Dietz squared off against Kim Housman. Accera moved into the hot seat match, following a shutout over Frederick, while Dietz was busy surviving a double hill victory over Housman. Accera claimed the hot seat with a double hill win over Dietz.
On the loss side, Frederick picked up Janeen Lee, who'd defeated LeAnn Marshall 7-2 and Sonya Hurst 7-5 to reach her. Housman drew Betty Lea, who'd eliminated Teresa Ballinger 7-5 and Kelly Jones 7-4.
Lee and Housman advanced to the quarterfinals. Lee handed Frederick her second straight shutout, as Housman locked up in her second straight double hill match; this time, emerging as the winner. Lee then ended Housman's weekend 7-4, and gave up only a single rack to Dietz in the semifinals. Accera put an end to Lee's loss side winning streak with a 7-4 victory in the finals to claim the event title.
Tara Williams worked her way through a very small field of 11 entrants, going undefeated to take the second stop on the Sport 9 Tour. The $500-added event, held on Saturday, May 23, was hosted by Lacy's Cue in Chalmette, Louisiana.
Williams and tour director Janeen Lee battled twice for the title. Williams sent Kim Housman to the loss side 9-4 in one winners' side semifinal, while Lee was busy shipping Susan Shinn over 9-5 in the other. Williams took the first of two against Lee 9-4 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting her return.
Housman and Shinn moved to the loss side and were immediately handed their second loss; Housman going down 7-6 to Jennifer Townsend, who'd gotten a first-round, loss-side bye and then defeated Patty Dietz 7-2, and Shinn falling 7-5 to Betty Lea, who'd defeated Kelly Jones 7-6 and Sonya Chbeeb 7-2.
Lea defeated Townsend 7-3 in the subsequent quarterfinals, leading to a Lee/Lea semifinal; the two, having finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, in the 2014 tour rankings. Lee prevailed 7-3, and got her second shot at Williams in the hot seat. Lee managed two more racks than she'd chalked up in the battle for the hot seat, but Williams completed her undefeated run 9-6 to claim the event title.
Dana Aft and Julie Cone met three times during the fourth stop on the Sport 9 Tour, held on the weekend of November 24-25. Aft took two out of the three matches, coming back from the loss side to double dip Cone (no pun intended) in the finals. The $350-added event drew 20 entrants to 6 Pockets Bar and Billiards in Decatur, AL.
They met first among the winners' side final four, when Cone's 7-3 win sent Aft west and Cone into the hot seat match. Facing Cone in the match was Rhonda Moses, who defeated tour director Janeen Lee 7-2. Cone got into the hot seat by the same score over Moses.
Aft's trip back to the finals began against Sonya Hurst, who'd defeated Linda Osborn 7-2 and just survived a double hill match against Cathy McDaniel. Lee faced Kristen Tidwell, who'd gotten by Patty Dietz 7-4 and Keely Tatum 7-3. Aft would win her next three matches by the same 7-2 score, beginning with a victory over Hurst, as Lee was downing Tidwell 7-4.
Aft dropped Lee into fourth place, and Moses into third to earn a second, double-elimination shot against Cone. Aft, who'd won the Women's Division of the 2013 US Amateur Championships two weeks earlier by defeating Melinda Huang in the finals, chalked up her third victory of the year (she'd won a stop on the Simonis Cloth Classic Tour in March) by double dipping Cone in the finals, 7-5 both times.
Tour director Lee thanked Paul McClain and his staff at 6 Pockets Bar and Billiards for their hospitality, as well as tour sponsors Robbie Patel and Professor Q-Ball.
