and was picked in the third round) all returned from the previous season's squad. The Sportimes traded up in the first round of the roster draft sending their pick along with cash consideration to the St. Louis Aces in exchange for the Aces' first round pick which was number 1 overall. The Sportimes used that choice to select Robert Kendrick. Christina Fusano was taken with the Sportimes' final choice. After a one-year absence, Harkleroad's husband Chuck Adams returned to coach the team. Abigail Spears was later signed as a free agent. The Sportimes repeated their 2008 regular-season performance with 10 wins and 4 losses. This time it was enough for first place in the Eastern Conference and a trip to the Eastern Conference Championship Match. The Sportimes faced the Washington Kastles for the Eastern Conference title at Kastles Stadium at CityCenter in Washington, D.C. on July 24, 2009. Championship Weekend, including this match, was at a predetermined site, but it ended up being a home match for the Kastles with regard to crowd support. However, as the top seed, the Sportimes were treated as the home team for determining order of play. Just eight days earlier, the two teams had been involved in an on-court incident during a regular-season match in New York that resulted in both teams and several players on each team being fined for unprofessional conduct and leaving the bench area and entering the court while not playing. The Kastles won the opening set of mixed doubles in a tiebreaker to take a 5–4 lead. The Sportimes responded when Abigail Spears defeated Olga Puchkova in women's singles, 5–2, to take a 9–7 lead. WTT Men's Most Valuable Player Leander Paes teamed with Scott Oudsema for a 5–3 men's doubles set win over Robert Kendrick and Jesse Witten to tie the match at 12–12. Rennae Stubbs and Puchkova followed with a 5–2 women's doubles set win over Spears and Christina Fusano to put the Kastles in front, 17–14. In the final set, Kendrick won a tiebreaker against Oudsema in men's singles to force overtime with the Kastles leading 21–19. Oudsema served out the match in the first game of overtime to give the Kastles a 22–19 victory and end the Sportimes' season. Another Eastern Conference Championship John McEnroe, Robert Kendrick, Jesse Witten, Abigail Spears and Ashley Harkleroad all returned to the Sportimes for the 2010 season. Kim Clijsters