71st USHA 3-Wall National Championships

Matthew Krueger August 23, 2022 Featured, Games & Tournaments, News

MAUMEE, Ohio — The forecast looked questionable at best when players went to bed Sunday night wondering if they were going to be able to play outside Monday morning. Despite dark overcast skies Monday morning, the rain did not come and all of the matches were able to take place on the three-wall court.

Ashley Ruiz and Suzanne Entzeroth played the women’s final to begin the day. Ruiz played like she was on a mission and controlled the game from start to finish. Ruiz’s fly kills and power drives kept Entzeroth off balanced the whole match. Ruiz exclaimed “Finally!” moments after she scored the final point. This was her first singles title in Toledo after a few tough losses in the final. It was well deserved, as she played great all weekend.

Ruiz then teamed up with Mikaila Esser to defeat Entzeroth and Sandy Ng in the Women’s Open Doubles Final. With Ruiz’s fly kill ability in the front court and Esser’s power drives in the back they are a tough team to beat. They have now won the last two years.

Shortly after Ruiz and Esser won their match, their husbands, Shorty Ruiz and Sam Esser teamed up to take on Martin Mulkerrins and Sean Lenning in the Men’s Open Doubles finals. Ruiz and Esser were also looking to go back to back as they won the doubles title last year.

Mulkerrins and Lenning started fast, building a 15-5 lead. Ruiz caught fire after that, and brought his team back to the tie the game at 17-17. Mulkerrins and Lenning stopped the run there, and looked to be in control serving at 20-17 with both servers. A Ruiz kill sided out Mulkerrins, and then Lenning hit his serve into the floor which gave Ruiz and Esser the serve back. Ruiz and Esser closed out the final 4 points to take game one. They started out 11-0 game two and never looked back, and defended their title. 

Last year, the Esser’s and Ruiz’s were the first engaged couples to team up and win a national open doubles title with each other. This year they were the first married couple to do so. 

The Toledo Handball Club again put on an amazing tournament with incredible hospitality. Every year they seem to top the last. Thank you to all of their volunteers and to everyone who helps make the tournament what it is: the best in the world. 

Check out all of the results HERE

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MAUMEE, Ohio — Rain Sunday morning forced all of the action to be moved to the four-wall courts. Players and fans made the short trip to Bowling Green State University where 7 indoor courts awaited them. This was the first time in two decades play had to be moved inside.

Sean Lenning and Leo Canales put on a thriller in the Men’s Open Final. Lenning jumped out to a fast start in game one, hitting absolute lasers for serves down both the left and right walls. He easily took the first game. Canales responded in game two, retrieving everything Lenning hit and wearing him out to claim the second game. 

The tiebreaker started with more of the same, and Canales jumped out to a 7-0 lead on Lenning. From there, Lenning looked like a different player. He rattled off several unbelievable ace serves that no player in the world could retrieve. Canales battled but had no answer for Lenning’s power, as Lenning came back to win the match, and his twelfth Three-Wall National Open Singles title. This was his first on a four-wall court.

The Women’s Open semifinals played today, beginning with Suzanne Entzeroth and Mikaila Esser. Esser dominated game one and looked to be in control of the match. Entzeroth though looked to be shaking off the four-wall rust in game two, and was able to win the second game. The tiebreaker was back and forth, but Entzeroth’s touch in the front court made the difference as she won and advanced to the finals.

On the other side of the bracket, Ashley Ruiz defeated Sandy Ng in dominating fashion. Ng had trouble with the back-wall shot and Ruiz was able to exploit the weakness. She will take on Entzeroth in the finals Monday morning. 

The Men’s Doubles final will be between Shorty Ruiz/Sam Esser and Martin Mulkerrins/Sean Lenning

The Women’s Doubles final will be between Ashley Ruiz/Mikaila Esser and Sandy Ng/Suzanne Entzeroth.

The Big Ball Doubles final will be Brian Medina/Leo Canales and Shorty Ruiz/Allan Sanchez.

Follow along with all of the results HERE

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SUNDAY MATCHES:

Attention Handballers,

While we’d love to stay outside, but the only way to restart the tournament TODAY is to play indoors on four-wall courts.

The backup site is the STUDENT REC CENTER at Bowling Green State University. (Approximately 20 miles from the hotel/courts…south, down I-75).

BGSU Rec Center address is: 1411 Ridge St, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403

ONLY USE THE REC CENTER ENTRANCE OFF RIDGE STREET

Please use the map as a guide to parking and where you can find the main entrance HERE.

All standard parking is free on Sunday and Labor Day.

Use any Red Lots (1, 10, 16 & 18) or Orange “X” (See the map).

10 a.m. matches should expect to check in around 1:30 p.m. or begin sooner if possible.

Lunch will still be available at Noon at the George D. Miller Handball Courts, if you want to catch a bite before coming down.

Handball Tournament: 71st USHA National Three-Wall Championships
Dates: Sep 1-5, 2022
Location: Maumee, OH USA – Lucas County Rec Center
Director: USHA
Website Link: https://www.r2sports.com/tourney.asp?TID=39088

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MAUMEE, Ohio — Saturday and day three of the tournament brought the Men’s Open Singles semifinal matches and the Women’s Pro singles quarterfinal matches.
 
Sean Lenning played Abe Montijo in the first semifinal, and controlled the match from start to finish. Lenning’s serve could be the best ever on the three-wall court, and nobody has shown an answer for it yet.
 
Leo Canales defeated Shorty Ruiz in a tiebreaker after dropping game one of the match. Canales has now won two tiebreakers in a row and will have the tough task of taking down Lenning tomorrow. 
 
On the Women’s side, Mikaila Esser dispatched Leah Kirk in the first quarterfinal of the day. Esser and Kirk had many long rallies but Esser’s consistency made the difference. 
 
Ashley Ruiz defeated Kristen Hughes in two quick games, using her fly kill anytime she had the chance and putting it down routinely. 
 
Suz Entzeroth just edged out Jennifer Schmitt in her quarterfinal, surviving the first game 21-20 and then winning the second 21-15. 
 
In one of the best matches of the day, Sandy Ng defeated Megan Dorneker in a tiebreaker. Ng is a great one-wall player as well, and will be tough for any of her opponents to defeat as she brings a different type of game to the court. 
 
Near the end of the night, three awards were given out:
 
Toledo Handball was recognized as the 2021 Organization of the Year, and it’s obvious why to anyone who attends the three-wall nationals.
 
Anthony La Rocca was awarded the Volunteer of the year award for 2021. La Rocca has been vital in Indiana where he has really grown the one-wall scene.
 
Thomas Valenzuela was awarded his Grand Master jacket, which goes out to players who have won 10 age division national title. Valenzuela will attempt to add another title in the 50 doubles this weekend. 
 
Follow along with all of the results HERE
 
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MAUMEE, Ohio — Day two of the tournament brought beautiful weather and sunny skies all day. The action heated up on the court as the open quarterfinals took place in the Men’s Open division.
 
The highlight of the day though was the ceremony held to dedicate the three-wall courts  at the Lucas County Recreation Center to the late George D. Miller. Hundreds of players and spectators gathered to hear a presentation from Toledo Handball Club’s Jim Lowe, USHA Executive Director Matt Krueger, and Lucas County Administrators.  
 
Miller was the driving force behind the courts and did so much to make the Three-Wall Nationals a success. His legacy will live on for many many years. At the end of the ceremony, Miller’s wife Joyce was honored with a gift, and the proclamation stating that the Board of Directors of Lucas County have named the handball courts at the Lucas County Recreation Center in his honor. 
 
Sean Lenning continued to dazzle the crowd with his strong serves and power on the three-wall court. He defeated Bill Mehilos and will take on Abraham Montijo in the first semifinal tomorrow. 
 
Montijo took on Ireland’s Martin Mulkerrins, who is teaching handball at Texas A&M this year. Montijo got off to fast starts in both games, and was able to hold on a late Mulkerrins run in each game to win 21-18, 21-18.
 
Leo Canales had a thrilling 11-9 victory over Sam Esser. Canales rallied back from a 6-0 deficit in the tiebreaker to take the match. He will take on Shorty Ruiz in the second semifinal tomorrow. 
 
Ruiz defeated long time three-wall star Dane Szatakowski in his quarterfinal match. Ruiz hit several ace serves down the left and right that helped propel him to victory. 
 
The semifinals will take place tomorrow, and the Women’s Open quarterfinals will also begin tomorrow. 
 
View all the results and follow along HERE
 
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MAUMEE, Ohio — Day one of the tournament brought perfect weather and great handball. The Toledo Handball Club welcomed all the players to the 2022 USHA Three-Wall Nationals with their tremendous hospitality. Players enjoyed catching up with their handball buddies who they had not seen since last year. 
 
The opening round of singles kicked off in most divisions. Long time three-wall stars Bill Mehilos and Dane Szatakowski  played great in their impressive victories today. Mehilos defeated Max Langmack in his round of 16 match, and will take on Sean Lenning tomorrow. Szatakowski took out Brian Medina, and will face Shorty Ruiz tomorrow. 
 
One of the matches of the day was in the 60 singles, where Miguel Garcia Jardon defeated Dan Allen in a marathon match. Garcia Jardon routinely retrieved shots that were 10 feet behind the deep line, and was able to just outlast Allen in the tiebreaker. 
 
Matches kick off at 10am tomorrow. View all the results and follow along HERE
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MAUMEE, Ohio — The Toledo Handball Club and USHA welcome players and families back to the traditional Labor Day Weekend classic, the 71st USHA National Three-Wall Championships at the Lucas County Rec Center.  
 
The draws and start times are now available HERE.Please Note: Times and matches are tentative (things may change up to the day of the event). Double-check playing times and match up
 
The Three-Wall National Tournament is everyone’s the favorite event of the year, and the Toledo Handball Club promises to offer another prime event.
 
At this year’s tournament, in memory of longtime handball great, George Miller, the Toledo Handball Club will name the Lucas County Rec Center Three-Wall Courts the George Miller Three-Wall Handball Courts.
George Miller thanks the Three-Wall Nationals players and families during his acceptance speech for the R.W. Kendler Award in 2005.

George Miller’s Legacy to Toledo Handball and the National Three-Wall Championships

It was George Miller who spearheaded the effort to get eight regulation size three-wall courts with lights constructed in the mid-70s, bringing the Nationals to northern Ohio in 1975. Our Three-Wall Nationals  have been held there ever since. For players who made the trip to the Lucas County Rec Center for the USHA Three-Wall Nationals each Labor Day Weekend, George didn’t just embody the event, he was it (he would be the last person to mention that fact). While establishing an amazing cadre of volunteers, George still did it all: running the grills, sweeping the courts and even picking up trash around the park.

His amazing work stretched nearly five decades and made the Three-Wall Nationals a top destination not only for handball players in the U.S., but extending to Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Australia and more. Handball players who knew George or played in Toledo will want to attend this year’s ceremony.

This is the best three-wall facility in the country, featuring eight regulation courts with lights. Paired with Toledo Handball Club’s amazing hospitality, the Three-Wall Nationals are a must! The complex has something for everyone, so bring the family! In case of rain, a local club is available.

ATTENTION: For players entering DOUBLES EVENTS WITHOUT A PARTNER. USHA staff can connect you with eligible players for your division, but the responsibility falls solely on the player to have a complete team by the entry deadline. Those who cannot find a partner by the deadline will be removed from doubles and the 2nd event fee will be refunded (or the player may be placed in another eligible singles division).

For your time off the court, the Toledo Area has plenty to offer. See the “Things to do in Toledo” HERE.

USHA & WPH Big Ball Doubles 

The USHA and WPH have partnered again to offer Big Ball Doubles in Three-Wall and Wallball. A promotional entry fee and $2K Prize Money purse is guaranteed for these divisions.