2013 Season Opener Kicks off With Jeanette Lee's Hall of Fame Induction and Pro-Am

MT. PLEASANT, MI –  48 of the best female billiard players in the world are in town today for the WPBA Masters 9-Ball Championship:

Jeanette Lee in Hall of Fame!
Kicking off the event is the induction (6 p.m.) of the famed “Black Widow” Jeanette Lee of Indianapolis into the WPBA Hall of Fame. Lee, who has won over 30 national and international titles, is currently ranked as the No. 3 billiards player in the world. Jeanette’s induction will precede a charity pro-am to benefit the local Angel Tree Foundation. o follow Lee as she is inducted into the WPBA Hall of Fame, find her on Twitter: @JeanetteLeeTBW, Facebook: facebook.com/jeanetteleetheblackwidow, Instagram: JeannetteLeeTBW and www.BlackwidowBilliards.com .

Schedule
Preliminary rounds begin Thursday, February 7, through Saturday, February 9 with 48 top players competing in two sessions each day in double elimination play. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, February 10 beginning at 1 p.m., when the final four players remaining will compete for the title of 2013 WPBA Masters Champion LIVE on ESPN3!

ESPN3
For the first time in the history of the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, the entire semi final and final matches will run LIVE on ESPN3, beginning Sunday at 1 p.m. Fans can head to https://www.wpba.com for more info and tournament brackets, or visit the link direct at https://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/817665/wpba-masters.

Local Flavor
Vicki Paski, Lansing, Michigan based WPBA and Michigan Sports Hall of Fame player (shown here coaching a local player in the youth clinic) is the tournament’s local favorite. Auto-Owners Insurance, also based in Michigan, has come on board as a sponsor of the 2013 WPBA Masters. Said Paski of their participation: “The WPBA is excited about our move to LIVE coverage of our events on ESPN3 and with the fan and sponsor attention that it’s already attracting. Auto-Owners is a premier Michigan-based business and we’re proud to have them on board!”

WPBA Masters Sponsors
Auto-Owners joins WPBA Masters sponsors Diamond Billiard Products, Iwan Simonis Cloth, Aramith pro balls, Delta-13 (racks) and online gameroom supplier Pooldawg in sponsoring this historic event on the 2013 Women’s Pro Billiard Tour.

Amateur Action
Alongside the WPBA Masters is the Soaring Eagle Open V, featuring amateur singles 8-Ball and 9-Ball tournaments in men and women’s divisions, with 400 players! This event will begin on Thursday, and continue through Sunday. Visit www.soaringeagleopen.com for more info.
 
Tickets
 Tickets are available via startickets.com or the Soaring Eagle Box office at 888-726-9633.

Complete 48 Player Field List (Alphabetical)
Borana Andoni, Joanne Ashton, Janet Atwell, Jessica Barnes, Jennifer Barretta, Brittany Bryant, Belinda Calhoun, Eleanor Callado, Kelly Cavanaugh, Jennifer Chen, Karen Corr, Teruko Cucculelli, Nicole Cuellar, Emily Duddy, Allison Fisher, Stephanie Goens, Eugenia Gyftopoulos, Tina Hess, Dawn Hopkins, Jessica Karacia-Human, Nicole Keeney, Julie Kelly, Ga Young Kim, Line Kjorsvik, Barbara Lee, Jeanette Lee, Melissa Little, Hiroko Makiyama, Erin McManus, Cathy Metzinger, Sara Miller, Jana Montour, Connie O’Heron, Jasmin Ouschan, Angelina Paglia, Vicki Paski, Samantha Patton, Cheryl Pritchard, Rene Rose, Maureen Seto, Eve Stockstill, Helena Thornfeldt, Vivian Villarreal, Monica Webb, Kim White-Newsome, Carrie Williams, Susan Wiliams, Tonya Wiser.

About the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA)
The WPBA was established in 1976 under the name of the Women's Professional Billiard Alliance and will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2011 as the oldest pro player organization in the sport. The WPBA sanctions and produces the Women’s Pro Billiard Tour, which features ESPN-televised events with the greatest women players from around the world. For more information about the WPBA, its top players and sponsors, visit www.wpba.com. The WPBA Masters is sponsored by Diamond Billiards, Iwan Simonis, Auto-Owners Insurance, Delta-13, Pooldawg, and Aramith.

About Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
The Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort is the Midwest’s premier AAA Four Diamond gaming and hospitality destination offering top-name entertainment year-round, award-winning dining, high stakes bingo and a full-service spa. For more info, visit www.soaringeaglecasino.com