Karen Corr has yet to lose a match on the 2016 J. Pechauer Northeast Women's Tour. She's competed in three of the tour's five 2016 stops so far, and gone undefeated in all three, with a 17-0 match record. She chalked up the third win on the weekend of June 25-26 at a $1,500-added ($500 from Coins of the Realm) event that drew 32 entrants to Champion Billiards in Frederick, MD.
Though the battle for the hot seat would feature a marquee matchup between Corr and Janet Atwell, who, in Corr's absence at a tour stop in May, won the event, it proved to be Briana Miller, who challenged Corr in the finals of this one. Sent to the loss side in the opening round by Meredith Lynch, Miller went on an eight-match, loss-side winning streak that gave her a chance against Corr in the finals.
In the meantime, Corr got by Nicole King, Sueyen Rhee, and Christy Norris to face Judie Wilson in a winners' side semifinal. Atwell opened with victories over Sandy Raber, Eugenia Gyftopoulos, and Kia Sidbury (who entered the tournament as the #3-ranked player on the tour), which set her (Corr) up to face Meredith Lynch in the other winners' side semifinal.
Atwell sent Lynch to the loss side 7-4, as Corr was dispatching Wilson 7-1. Corr claimed the hot seat 7-3 over Atwell, and waited on what, likely to the surprise of many, turned out to be Miller.
On the loss side, Miller got by Sharon O'Hanlon, Nicole Fleming, Linda Shea (posting a rare tie-for-13th finish), Kia Sidbury and Dawn Fox to draw Wilson, coming over from the winners' side semifinal. Lynch drew Christy Norris, who, after being sent to the loss side by Corr in the fourth round, defeated Kathy Friend, double hill, and Gyftopoulos 7-2, to pick up Lynch.
Miller downed Wilson 7-1 and earned herself a re-match against Lynch, who'd eliminated Norris in a double hill fight. Miller then downed Lynch by the same score that Lynch had defeated her in the opening round, 7-3. By that same score, in the semifinals, Miller then thwarted Atwell's bid for a re-match against Corr.
Miller became only the second competitor to chalk up four racks against Corr (Christy Norris was the other). It was not, though, enough. Corr completed her third undefeated run on the JPNEWT and consequently moved into a tie for the tour's #1-ranking with Linda Shea.
The winner of the event, in addition to the cash payout, qualified for the next event on the North American Pool Tour in August. The first four finishers in this event had already qualified, as had Judie Wilson, who tied for fifth with Christy Norris. Norris was awarded the qualification to the August event.
