Janet Atwell
Illness precluded her participation in the 2014 VA State 10-Ball Championships to defend the title she'd won in the inaugural event in 2013, but Janet Atwell returned this year, and went undefeated through a field of 22 to reclaim the title, won last year by Tracie Majors. The event was hosted by Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA on the weekend of February 7-8.
Victories over Cheryl Sporleder, Nicole Fleming and Dawn Buchanan put Atwell in a winners' side semifinal versus Meredith Lynch. Jacki Duggan, in the meantime, following victories over Pauline Mattes and Tracey Collins, faced Falon Newton. Lynch and Newton both put up double hill fights, but Atwell and Duggan prevailed to square off for the first time in the hot seat match. Atwell shut Duggan out and waited in the hot seat for her return.
On the loss side, Lynch drew Tina Scott, who'd gotten by Lai Li, double hill, and Sheri Bruner 5-2. Newton picked up Kim Whitman, who'd eliminated Sporleder, double hill and Buchanan 5-3. Whitman and Scott handed Lynch and Newton their second loss, both 5-3, and met in the quarterfinals, where Scott prevailed 5-2.
Duggan defeated Scott 5-2 in the semifinals, and like her male counterpart in these VA State 10-Ball Championships (Matt Krah; see separate story), entered the finals with the sting of a hot seat shutout fresh in her memory. Atwell gave up only a single rack to Duggan in the finals to claim her second VA State 10-Ball title.
