Liz Cole, who finished fourth in the opening event of the 2009 Northwest Women's Pool Association tour last month, went undefeated on the tour's second stop on the weekend of April 17-18, and should, as a result, move to the top of the tour's standings. Her finals opponent, June Maiers, who won seven matches on the one-loss side to meet Cole will likely make a huge leap in those standings, as well; likely into second place. Two of the four top women in the standings after the opening event were not present for the second, while a third (Cindy Sliva) finished tied for ninth place. The $1,000-added event drew 29 entrants The Cue Ball in Salem, OR.
Cole got into the hot seat after defeating Eva Stockstill, among the winners' side final four, and then, in the hot seat match, Shelby Locati, both 7-3. Locati had prevailed in a double hill battle versus Jackie Karol.
Maiers, in the meantime, was in the midst of the seven straight, one-loss side victories that would put her into the finals. With two down, she dropped Sliva into the tie for ninth and then, Andrea Saenz-Maas into seventh place , both 7-5, for the right to face Karol. Kit Dennis, who'd sent Maiers west in the second round, had, by this time, also moved to take up residence in the west bracket. Dennis got by Kimberly Kirk 7-5 and Mikki Small 7-3 to pick up Stockstill. A Dennis/Maiers rematch in the quarterfinals was avoided when Stockstill stopped Dennis 7-4. Maiers moved into the quarterfinals versus Stockstill with a 7-5 win over Karol.
Maiers made it look easy in those quarterfinals with a dominating 7-1 victory over Stockstill, only to find herself locked into a double hill struggle versus Locati in the semifinals. Maiers survived to meet Cole, who finished the tour's second stop with a 9-5 victory in the single match final.
