2017 Season Preview: #8 Case Spartans

Coach: Todd Wojtkowski, 9^th Season

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Preseason ITA Ranking: 8

Blog Power Ranking: 14

Twitter Handle: @casetennis1

Overview

It’s no secret that Case has one of, if not the, best coach in D3 tennis. Since his arrival to Cleveland in 2008, Coach Todd Wojtkowski has given his life to the Spartans program, and it has shown in the results. While Case might not get the most highly-touted recruits, Coach Todd has a track record of being a development machine. Those skills are going to be put to the test this year. After graduating All-Americans CJ Krimbill (2014 NCAA Doubles Champion) and Louis Stuerke and finishing the season capturing 3^rd at ITA Indoors and making it to the Sweet 16 of NCAAs, Wojtkowski brings in a whopping 9 2- and 3-star recruits. Many expect Case to be down this year, but those are the same people that underestimate the Spartans every year. Don’t be surprised if they do big things again.

Additions

Sam Concannon (3-star), Varun Jayaram (3-star), Rajeev Laungani (3-star), Joshua Piatos (3-star), Siddharth Rajupet (3-star), Zach Hennessey (2-star), Anthony Kanam (2-star), Rohith Koneru (2-star), Henry Squire (2-star)

Key Losses

CJ Krimbill (#1 Doubles/#1 Singles), Louis Stuerke (#1 Doubles/#4 Singles)

Lineup Analysis:

#1 Singles, James Fojtasek

I’m hopeful that the senior will come into the spring season in good form after missing the fall. Fotjasek has shown some flashes of being a more than capable #1, beating Jonathan Jemison (Emory) and taking Brady Anderson (Coe) to three sets. Of course, you can’t place the same expectations on Fojtasek as Krimbill, but given his development, I think he could do well at the spot.

#2 Singles, Josh Dughi

Our good friend D3Central thinks that Dughi will play #5 this year, and that could very well be true, but looking at Josh’s seeding in fall tournaments and results, it looks like he is Case’s #2 at this point. Dughi ended his junior campaign on a high note, winning eight of his final 10 matches. Remember, though, that was at the 6 spot. #2 singles is a whole new ballgame, but you’ve got to be pleased with the senior’s results so far, doing well at #1 singles flights in the many tournaments Case traveled to and taking Chicago’s Nick Chua to three sets in the round of 16 at ITAs.

#3 Singles, Siddharth Rajupet

One thing I’ve always appreciated about Case’s players is that they individually compete in tournaments throughout December. A couple weeks ago, Rajupet participated in the University of Michigan UTR Men’s Open, where he beat Michigan commit TJ Oosterbaan in the first round. While he lost in the second round, the result was close (7-6, 6-3) against a Dartmouth player/former 5-star. Great news for Case. Otherwise there isn’t too much to say about the freshman’s fall. Seeing as he was seeded above Robert Stroup and below Dughi at ITAs, I think #3 is a fair projection.

#4 Singles, Robert Stroup
Stroup’s freshman season at #3 last year probably wasn’t ideal, ending with a record of 9-14. Perhaps he was outmatched at #3, but if he drops a couple spots in the lineup, the sophomore will definitely have a solid record. Stroup was a bit streaky last year, so with a year under his belt, I don’t see why he can’t be more consistent.

#5 Singles, Sam Concannon

Concannon is a D3Central favorite. And for good reason. The freshman was a state champ in high school; sure, it means nothing in college, but at least it shows that he can compete at an extremely high level. I was especially impressed with his grinder-to-grinder battle against Johnny Wu (Wash U) at ITAs. Though Wu squeaked past the freshman in three sets, the match showed me that he has the goods to compete in marathon collegiate matches. Almost an exact replica of Wu in stature and playing style, Concannon is going to give many opponents the fits. Don’t be surprised if he cracks the top half of the lineup.

#6 Singles, Kevin Dong/Joshua Piatos/Anthony Kanam/A bunch of other players

As I already mentioned, this is a team filled with freshmen. Any of them could end up playing #6. But a senior, Kevin Dong, has experience on his side. Of course, Joshua Piatos was the highest-ranked recruit out of the 9 Case freshmen, and Anthony Kanam had great results against D1 opponents in the fall. Who knows, maybe an unlikely veteran will step up?

Schedule Summary/Analysis:

http://athletics.case.edu/sports/mten/2016-17/schedule

Like some of the other bloggers say, I don’t want to bore you by outlining the whole schedule, so here are a few takeaways and tournaments/matches to watch:

1. ITA Indoors

• Scrolling back through last year’s blog posts, I found something interesting: The 8 bloggers that made predictions for ITA Indoors all picked Case to come in 7^th or 8^th. As you know, they came in 3rd. The Spartans thrive on their home courts, so despite going up against a surging Carnegie squad in the first round, a win is realistic. Can’t say much about Days 2 and 3.

2. Stag-Hen

• Massive Pool C implications in the first round of the Stag-Hen as the Spartans face Pomona.

3. Kenyon on March 25^th

• Big in-region match against two Ohio foes. If the two don’t play each other at Indoors, this would be the first time they meet since Kenyon’s win in the Sweet 16.

4. UAAs
5. No Chicago or Wash U

• Unless they meet at Indoors or the Stag-Hen (Wash U), there is a chance that for the first time in several years, Case doesn’t play either Chicago or Wash U in the regular season.

Conclusion

In an interview with TennisRecruiting.net back in 2011, Coach Wojtkowski said he had two specific goals for Case once he accepted the head coaching gig in 2008 – be in the Top 10 in the nation within five years and play in a national championship within 10 years. He accomplished his first goal just in the nick of time, when Case received a #7 ITA Ranking in February of 2013. I’m sure there is nothing more that he would like than to accomplish his second goal. However, he has only two more seasons to meet it. The Spartans have to buy-in, work hard, and perhaps, a national championship will be within reach.