"Texas Tornado" Takes Spirit Win, Jans Earns WPBA Qualifier

By J.A. Barnes 

The Ladies Spirit Tour started the 2005 season at Cunningham's Pool & Darts in Vero Beach, FL, o­n January 22 with a tough field of pros, semi-pros, and hopefuls.  WPBA touring pros Vivian Villarreal and Angel Paglia were early favorites, along with two of Florida's best, Debbie Schjodt and Tracie Hines.

This year, each Ladies Spirit Tour stop includes a WPBA qualifier, and Wendy Jans of Belgium was seeking not just the top spot but also a shot at playing in a pro event.  She did everything she could to make it happen, too. 

Jans battled through the first day to emerge undefeated and set herself up in a hot seat match against Villarreal.  She, too, had played almost perfectly, starting with a 7-0 win over Paglia.  Villarreal's experience was no match for Jans, as she mostly watched "The Texas Tornado" from her chair.  The 7-3 setback sent her to the west side, but it didn't break her spirit.

Jans' opponent in the semifinals was Hines, who had just ousted Paglia with a 7-4 win.  The two ladies battled it out, but Jans came out o­n top 7-4.

In the final match between Villarreal and Jans, it seemed that Jans was focused o­n winning, as she earned early leads at 2-1 and 3-2, but Villarreal never backed down.  After Villarreal tied it up the score at 3-all, Jans again pulled ahead following a miss by her opponent.  In Game 8, a safety battled consumed the table, with Jans coming out o­n top for a 5-3 lead, and she followed that up with another solid rack for what seemed to a stronghold o­n the match. 

As a pro, Villarreal had been down before, and she reacted almost instinctively, coming back almost as fast as she went down.  Trailing 6-4, she quickly ran the rack to get within o­ne game, but Jans looked to nail down the victory in the next rack with just the 8 and 9 left o­n the table.  However, the 8 rattled the pocket, leaving Villarreal two easy shots to put the match at hill-hill.  In the decisive rack, both Villarreal and Jans had early opportunities to grab the momentum, but it wasn't until late it match that Villarreal was able to gain control and nail down the 7-6 victory.

After the hard-fought win, Villarreal praised the Spirit Tour for its tough and exciting play.  "I think it's a great tour, and I think the women are playing well."

Jans, though, did receive some consolation with her second-place finish.  Because Villarreal is already o­n the pro tour, the WPBA qualifier was awarded to Jans, along with a $525 prize. 

Results:

1st Vivian Villarreal $700

2nd Wendy Jans $525 + WPBA Qualifier

3rd Tracie Hines $400

4th Angel Paglia $275

5th Bonnie Coats, Debbie Schjodt $175

7th Jeannie Seaver, Niki Rasmussen $100

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