 | |
| Founded | 1987 (1987) (moved to Delaware in 1996 (1996)) |
|---|---|
| Folded | January 30, 2009 (2009-01-30) |
| League | World TeamTennis |
| Team history | New Jersey Stars 1987–1995 Delaware Smash 1996–2008 |
| Based in | Wilmington,Delaware |
| Stadium | DuPont Country Club |
| Colors | Red and Black |
| Head coach | Mariaan de Swardt |
| Championships | 1994,1995 (as New Jersey Stars) 2003 (as Delaware Smash) |
TheDelaware Smash was aWorld TeamTennis (WTT)team that was founded in 1987 as theNew Jersey Stars. The team moved toDelaware in 1996, and changed its name to the Smash. The franchise won three WTT championships—in 1994 and 1995, as the Stars and in 2003, as the Smash. The franchise folded after the 2008 season.
The Stars were founded in 1987, by commercialreal estate developer Larry Rosenthal. They played their home matches at the Somerset Hilton inFranklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey in a new stadium which was built for the team and had a seating capacity of 1,200. Rosenthal chose to put the team inCentral Jersey instead ofNew York City, because he believedSomerset County was a hotbed fortennis enthusiasts, and said, "We know we have a minimum of 600 to 700 spectators for each home match." The Stars' mascot was a wizard that put a hex on the opposing team. Rosenthal also hired maledancers who usually performed onladies' night at the Somerset Hilton lounge to wear skimpycostumes and heckle female opposing players.[1]
The first match in Stars history was on July 11, 1987, a 24–21 loss on the road against theMiami Beach Breakers.[2] The team's first home match was also a loss to the Breakers, 24–21, on July 15, 1987.[3] The 1987 Stars featuredJoAnne Russell,Molly Van Nostrand,Hank Pfister and player-coachColin Dibley.[1] The Stars were winless in their inaugural season, losing all 14 of their matches.[4]
The Stars returned in 1988, with a completely new lineup and vastly improved results. Player-coachPeter Fleming ledJenny Byrne,Belinda Cordwell,Matt Mitchell andChip Hooper to a record of 9 wins and 5 losses and an appearance in the TeamTennis Final. The Stars' regular-season record was good for third place in the league and put them in the TeamTennis Semifinals against theSouth Florida Breakers.[4] Byrne and Cordwell were a formidable pair in women's doubles, winning 57% of their regular-season games.[5]
The semifinal match was originally scheduled for August 2. However, TeamTennis granted the Breakers' request to push the match back by a day, because South Florida had its final two regular-season matches on the previous two days and wanted an extra day to prepare for the Stars.[6] With the Breakers winning those final two matches, they finished 10–4, one match ahead of the Stars and hosted the semifinal match at Deer Creek Tennis Resort inDeerfield Beach, Florida. The Stars dominated the match from start to finish and won all five sets on their way to a 30–15 victory. Fleming and Hooper opened the match with a 6–2 set win overHoracio de la Peña and 1988 TeamTennis Male Most Valuable PlayerBlaine Willenborg in men's doubles. Hooper followed by taking the men's singles set, 6–4, over de la Peña. Byrne and Corwell took care ofSusan Mascarin andHeather Ludloff in women's doubles, 6–3, and Byrne dominated Mascarin in the singles, 6–1. The final set of mixed doubles went to a tiebreaker, which was won, 5–3, by Fleming and Byrne over Willenborg and Ludloff. The Stars played the match under protest following the league's decision to postpone it by a day. Stars owner Larry Rosenthal threatened to sue TeamTennis if his team had lost. After the match, he said, "Even with seven days rest, we were still going to beat the heck out of them tonight."[7]
On August 7, 1988, the Stars faced the defending championCharlotte Heat in the TeamTennis Final inCharlotte, North Carolina. In a close match, the Heat prevailed, 27–22.[8]
In 1989, the Stars relocated to a 1,200-seat grandstand court at the Center Court Tennis Club inChatham Borough, New Jersey.[9]
On March 1, 1996, the two-time defending champion Stars announced that the team had been purchased byBillie Jean King andInternational Management Group and would relocate to theBob Carpenter Center on the campus of theUniversity of Delaware inNewark for the 1996 season.[10] IMG had previously owned theFlorida Twist, which folded after the 1995 season.[11]
Home matches for the club were played at theDuPont Country Club inWilmington, Delaware in 1998 and 2000 to 2003, theUniversity of Delaware'sBob Carpenter Center in 1999, and then at courts nearAstraZeneca headquarters (2004–2006) before returning to the country club in 2007.
During the initial years the Smash played at DuPont Country Club, the matches were played on har-tru club courts. The team transitioned to hard courts when it moved to AstraZeneca, and continued to play on hard courts when it returned to DuPont CC. In order to be in compliance with WTT regulations, a temporary hard court was laid during the summer on two of the courts at the country club.[1]
On January 30, 2009 the owner announced that the Smash would be closing down due to lack of sponsorship.[12]
