If you thought we were done beating the dead horse that is Indoors, you were wrong. #IndoorsWeek is about to get super intense at 11:30AM Central time tomorrow, and that means I have some time to get one last preview out. We’ve been through team by team (twice) and went matchup by matchup, but what about everything else? What about your X-Factors, Wild Cards, and players/things to watch? That’s right, this article will be about those things – stuff that could define the tournament but may not have been mentioned in the three articles prior. Indoors is probably one of my favorite weekends throughout the year, even though the Stag Hen is coming up fast considering there are other matches being played as well. It looks like there will not only be live stats but live video at Indoors this year as well, which is absolutely huge news! Now to get out of work early to watch….
Anyways, let’s get to the X-Factors, Wild Cards, and ASouth’s 10 things to watch for the tournament. Just to quickly define: an X-Factor is a team’s true key to the weekend. Basically, the X-Factor can make the difference between a successful weekend and an unsuccessful one. A wild card is something that can come out of nowhere to give the team a successful weekend. And the 10 things to watch is pretty self-explanatory.
Gustavus Adolphus
X Factor – Handling the Moment – I start off with Gustavus’s X-Factor, and it’s not a person. I like to switch things up and really give you guys some overlaying themes once in a while. When I say “Handling the Moment” for GAC, what I mean is this. This is an inexperienced team. GAC has 4 players in the projected singles lineup that have barely played any important matches in their careers (younger Al-Houni, younger Entwistle, Saenz, Elofson). We all know that GAC has been using advantages such as fitness, crowd, and home-court to their advantage to pull off upsets in this tournament. How will these young players handle 100 fans cheering for them? It sounds easy, but it’s not. On DIII Tennis’ biggest stage, being the home player isn’t as easy as you think. This will be their first test in big match play and their first time playing 3 high-quality matches in one weekend (barring ITA individuals). Can the youngbloods play the crowd, the bubble, and the potential cramps and pull off an upset?
Wild Card – Mohamed Al-Houni – The younger Al-Houni brother currently slots in at #3 singles, where he will potentially play Curtis, Viswajit, and Turlington. Do any of those guys truly scare you? They’re good, but they aren’t unbeatable. What if the freshman Al-Houni hasn’t tapped into his potential yet? What if he was nervous playing his brother in ITAs and didn’t play his best? What if he’s truly a #1? GAC will need all the wins they can get, and Al-Houni is a guy that could come out of nowhere.
Kenyon College
X-Factor – Wade Heerboth’s Left Hand – Two weekends ago was a pitiful performance to say the least by Wade Heerboth. We learned that he had broken his hand and gotten surgery over the winter, basically turning his left hand and forehand into mush. He got double bageled by Krimbill and lost at #2 to Deepak Sabada. Word on the street says that he has been playing better in practice and was potentially considered to play #1 this weekend, until Coach Thielke made the final decision. Given the state of the Kenyon bottom of the lineup, the Lords will absolutely need their best player to clean up wins at #2 singles. Are his bones and muscles ready for the grueling 3 days? His mind will most likely be, but that doesn’t mean the skill is there. He’s potentially matching up against Putterman, Heaney-Secord, and Entwistle at #2, so these are winnable but tough matches. We shall see.
Wild Card – Tim Rosensteel – The former #3 player from last year is supposedly slated in the lineup at #5 singles. We know that he also has had issues with injuries recently. When your first big match is going to be at National Indoors, you better bring your A game. Rosensteel has potential to be a top #5 singles considering his experience but he’s historically been unable to really take the big matches. Here’s another chance to prove the haters wrong.
Carnegie Mellon University
X-Factor – Christian Heaney-Secord – This is probably the third time I’ve named the man they call “Big Chris” an X-Factor, and that’s because he truly is one. You never know how CHS is going to play on a given day. He’s beaten some top notch players (see NCAAs last year) and lost some head-scratchers (Drougas with an underhand serve). His game is well-suited to Indoors, but he also didn’t play in the fall due to injury issues. If he is fully healthy and giving guys like Halpern a run for their money, one match could swing the CMU luck. I did predict a 5-4 CMU win, but I am not confident in that at all. My mind tells me Emory will win. If Christian can step up, maybe I’ll end up right.
Wild Card – Jack Kasbeer – Again, Kasbeer is named on my wild card list, just like in the CMU Season Preview. Word on the street from initial lineups is that Kirkov (last year’s #4 player) will not be participating in Indoors this year due to injury. That means that Kasbeer or Tommy Cheng will be in the lineup (per CMU’s recent matches). Kasbeer is the same kid that went AWOL last spring semester after having a stellar ITA. If you look up the word Wild Card in the dictionary, he’s probably listed in the synonyms. Kasbeer has an extremely important match against an Emory freshman in the first round. If Kasbeer can go 3-0 on the weekend, we might see CMU place in the top 3.
Case Western Reserve
X-Factor – Doubles – I like how Case Western has played two matches this year and all of a sudden we say that they aren’t a team of doubles prowess. I don’t believe it. Doubles can be successful if you have good coaching and fundamentals, and Case Western has both of those things. We’ve doubted Case in the past and they’ve always come through. With a top 2 like the Spartans have, a 2-1 lead after doubles becomes a huge, huge advantage. If you’re looking at the potential best 1-2 punch in the country outside of CMS and you’re down 2-1, you got a long way to go. Case’s bottom of the lineup is a weakness, but it’s not a rollover. Those guys can win some big matches. Case gets out to a doubles lead, and you better watch out. Don’t be surprised if they give Hopkins a scare.
Wild Card – Egos – Some part of me feels that Case is the team that people seem to overlook when it comes to the top 10. I know that the Spartans use this to their advantage in terms of motivation (5000 miles, etc etc), but that’s not the full story. Teams like Johns Hopkins, Emory, etc, can get complacent when they see Case on the schedule because they are supposed to be more talented. Hopkins has fallen victim to this before and they happen to be Case’s first match. Case is a program with a history of upsets. Yet, they get overlooked when it comes to the “best” discussion. Will a team come unprepared to play the loud and motivated Spartans and get hit with a knockout punch right off the bat?
Johns Hopkins University
X-Factor – Noah Joachim – We know about pretty much everyone in the Hopkins lineup. Hell, we even know that Noah Joachim is a stellar doubles player at the #2 or #3 spots. But, we don’t know how much he’s improved in singles. We only have the ITA tournament to say that this guy has improved and his coaches sure do believe in him because I believe he’s slotted at the #4 spot. That’s a huge promotion from out of the singles lineup. If Joachim is everything that the Jays think he is, this team might have the best singles lineup in the tournament. That’s totally serious. I mean… Tanner Brown playing 6.
Wild Card – Ben Hwang’s Big Match Play – One thing I’ve noticed throughout the years is the struggle that Hwang seems to have in big matches, particularly in three setters. Now, don’t get me wrong, Hwang is an excellent player who I have the utmost respect for. But just last year, he lost to Halpern twice in three sets, Fritz in three, Bush in straights, and Dorn in straights. The year before he was a lot better as he beat Campbell of Midd as well as notching a few other big wins. What will this year bring for Hwang against the best competition? I’ve always considered his game extremely solid, but not necessarily one that can elevate to another level. If he proves me wrong, Hopkins can win the whole damn thing.
Emory University
X-Factor – Coach Browning – Last year, the Eagles were stung by a quick knockout punch by the Blue Jays in the first round. I know we just got questioned for this type of thinking, but how much of that was tied to coaching and preparation? I can’t say I know because I wasn’t there, but Browning has to have his guys ready for what will be a tough overall weekend for them. None of their matches will be easy, and with the amount of competition for Pool C at the moment, Emory is a team that should be notching wins in the beginning of the season. How will this team play doubles this tournament on the indoor courts? Will they be fit enough to for the whole weekend (my best guess is absolutely). If Browning has these guys prepared and mentally ready, this team can win it all. And you can believe that.
Wild Card – Freshman Sensations – I believe that Emory will be featuring two freshmen in the bottom of the lineup and potentially in doubles as well. There’s a lot of unknown here because first timers are… well they are first timers. I’m sure these guys can play, but if they are absolute studs, then this tournament might be Emory’s for the taking. If they are average, then Emory can expect to be in the semifinals. If they aren’t up for the challenge, they might be facing the same fate as last year. There’s a huge variance in how they’ll perform and they are the wild cards to watch for me. And not because I’ll be rooting for them.
Washington University of St. Louis
X-Factor – Playing the Part – There seems to be an aura around Wash U that is easily explainable. Every team respects the sh*t out of them, and for good reason. I know for a fact there are teams that go into matches with Wash U thinking they will need a miracle to beat them. Wash U has had success against every single team in this tournament, including Emory. Emory is the only team that is truly not semi-afraid of this team. It’ll be important for the Bears to come prepared as always – showing up on time, warming up with a purpose, and handling themselves the way Follmer has taught them. You’d be surprised how far a good impression goes when you’re on the court. If Wash U holds themselves the way they normally hold themselves, they will continue to be the favorite until someone knocks them off the throne.
Wild Card – John Carswell – I believe that Wash U is a John Carswell away from being far and away the best team in this tournament. Thing is, Carswell is currently nowhere to be found. Can the sophomore find his way back to being one of the best players in the country? He’s on a losing streak right now that’s lasted since back in the NCAA tournament. Carswell is a true wild card right now because no one can explain what’s going on over there. Follmer has the confidence in him to put him as the top dog, but does he?
Trinity TX Tigers
X-Factor – The Tigers Formula – With the fairly sure loss of Paxton Duell for at least this tournament, a team weaker than the Tigers would probably start counting their losses now. But, this team can win in so many different ways. The Tigers need to continue with their team formula, winning as a team and losing as a team. These guys play for each other and there’s no doubt about that. They can sweep a team in doubles and use their middle of the lineup to beat you. They can take 2 of 3 and hit you with a knockout at #1 singles. Everyone is prepared on this team and everyone needs to stay the course, with or without Paxton. If I were to give this team a theme song, it’d be Jay-Z’s “Dirt of Your Shoulder,” because that’s exactly the way they need to approach this possible injury. By the way, shoutout to the Tigers for not posting any box scores on their team site (wink wink).
Wild Card – Charlie Curtis – Word on the street is that Charlie Curtis has become a really good player throughout the offseason, and has the potential of being a really legit #3 player. This is something the Tigers badly need given the question marks at the bottom of the lineup. Krull and Skinner won’t be able to 1-2 the teams in this tournament, so they will need Curtis and his counterpart Mayer to really step it up. #3 is often a swing match for most of these teams, so if Curtis goes 3-0… maybe Trinity makes it to the finals and no one really sees it coming.
D3ASouth’s 10 Things to Watch at Indoors
I just wanted to add a short section on random things to watch throughout the tournament that will make it more enjoyable for all the viewers. This isn’t necessarily anything that will change the tournament, but Indoors is a great experience and people should appreciate that.
- Team Warm-ups – In the cold bubble of Gustavus, warm-ups are essential for the players because every game matters. Doubles matters even more, and guys on the sidelines have to stay warm. Watch for how hard some of these teams will be going in their warm-ups to keep their blood flowing and the players out of sleep mode. Even the walk to the bubble from the parking lot is a trek.
- Pre-game Huddles – Indoors is really going to be the first time we get to see the pre-game huddle chants that most of the teams use to get themselves amped for the match. I remember when CMS used to do that crazy fight song before matches and when Wash U basically just looked at each other and said “let’s do this.” Pre-game huddles show us what kind of team each team really is. You can bet the Spartans will have a good one!
- #BenchMob – I love using hashtags in articles and the #BenchMob is going to get a shoutout here. Most teams bring 10 players to indoors, meaning that 7 players will be cheering for their teams during singles, along with any other fans that the team brings along. Watch out especially for the Gustavus #BenchMob, as they will be sure to be out in droves. Case Western’s #BenchMob is one of the best, Emory’s one of the rowdiest, and even Wash U really gets in on the action. I’ve heard phrases like “Double flip Emory!,” “There’s a break Tartans,” and “TEE YOUUUUU” multiple times in my life. Always interesting to see the benches get pumped.
- LIVE VIDEO! – Self-explanatory here. Biggest win of the weekend goes to GAC already, as they are giving us the best Indoors experience to date. Better not mess this up Gusties! But really, kudos to them for giving us the opportunity to watch this great tournament from the comfort of our own homes.
- Big Hitters – While the bubble at GAC is not necessarily a fast surface, the tournament still is indoors, and that means better timing and less distractions for those big-hitting timing players. Some guys that come to my mind are Kevin Chu of Wash U, Christian Heaney-Secord of CMU, Erik Lim and Ben Hwang of Hopkins, Ross Putterman of Wash U, and Chris Krimbill of Case. Obviously these aren’t the only big hitters in the tournament, but it’s interesting to see who has the advantages here given the surface and environment. I’ve seen Brian Pybas take down some guys routinely with that huge lefty forehand of his.
- Line Calls – I think it was two years ago that someone in the comments called out the Emory team for “hooking.” Turns out to be a misunderstanding, but to say that hooking doesn’t happen in college matches is naïve. The GAC bubble literally puts the fans either on the bleachers next to the court, or literally on top of the match from above. It’ll be interesting to see how the fans react to some of the close line calls that are bound to happen.
- Serve and Volleyers? – Will we see any serve and volleyers this tournament?! I know there are guys that like to show it once in a while (Putterman of WU, Duncan of CMU, Krimbill too even), but will there be anyone that religiously crashes the net? It should be interesting to see if any players have the balls to man up and rush the net on a big point. It could mean the difference between a saved break point and a 5-2 deficit in the first set.
- Live Tweeting! – I can’t go this whole time without mentioning the live tweeting that the bloggers will be doing throughout the weekend. I personally love being on Twitter and interacting with all of you guys, because I’m as much of a fan as you guys are. I love hearing your thoughts as do my colleagues, because more information is always beneficial to us. I’ve already gotten a few emails about the excitement behind the tournament and I think everyone is truly ready to embrace #IndoorsWeek. Feel free to sign on twitter and lambast me for my predictions, or give us a pat on the back for the coverage!
- Coaching – With live video all set up for ALL 6 courts, take some time to notice what the coaches do. Do they talk to their players on every changeover? How do they change their coaching style and frequency depending on the player? You’ll see that some players, especially freshmen, require a little bit of extra coaching to keep their minds straight and in the game. With guys like Krull, Putterman, Ruderman, etc, you’ll see coaches taking a more hands off approach unless they really need it. Take a look at coaching styles too. Coach Todd of Case is known to be very hands on, which is his style and he makes it work. Browning likes to stay back and let his players work through things with some encouragement. I’ll personally be excited to see coaches like McMindes (TU) and Willenborg (Hopkins) in action, because they don’t get much talk on the national stage.
- Drama – The drama will be real at Indoors this weekend. The first round brings fireworks, because guys are still getting used to the atmosphere and the teams that they haven’t seen yet this year. Video stream will get us all acclimated with what’s going on, down to the last yell. There are sure to be some cramps this weekend as well, and it’s something to watch as things get down to the wire. I for one have seen players triumph like heroes or fall due to cramps and dedication alone. What will this weekend bring in terms of high-wire acts?
Dammmmnnnnnnnnnnnnn! I can officially say I am pumped for this weekend to start. I’m getting into work early tomorrow to get things off my plate, maybe I’ll head out early to catch the afternoon matches. My colleagues will be on twitter to help out, and the live video will hopefully be working. Hope to see you all tomorrow, and best of luck to all participating teams. All of you guys are awesome teams and have a lot to be proud about already. And with that, ASouth, OUT.