2017 Season Preview: #6 CMS

The call for a successor will continue until morale improves. Please e-mail me: d3tennisguy@gmail.com

Coach: Paul Settles, 14th season

Location: Claremont, CA

ITA Ranking: #6

Blog Power Ranking: #4

Twitter Handle: @CMSTennis, one of the better team Twitters out there

Team Hashtag: #GoStags, pretty generic, but we’ll see if they come up with something new this year.

Overview:

First off, I’m ethically, morally and logically offended that the Stags are ranked behind Wash U in the national rankings right now. It makes no sense. I’m sure these Stags will rectify this soon.

I’m excited to write this preview because the Stags are basically my only regional team that I can pretty much guarantee will be very good this year. It’s been over a decade since the Stags have lost a conference match, and that doesn’t appear as though it’s about to change. (And whoever can remember the team they lost to in the 2005 SCIAC semifinals, back when they were still using the 7-point scoring system, has earned my undying respect). The Stags have all the ingredients of a championship contender: great senior leadership, championship experience, and a solid drive from determined underclassmen. The only question is whether or not they can put it all together to win a second championship in three years.

Key Additions:

Nikolai Parodi (#36), Jay Yeam (#127), Jake Berber (#149), Matthew Jacobs (#179), Daniel Park (#168), Jake Williams (#247) – must be fun to be ranked #247 in the country and start your DIII career as the 6th best player in your class.

Key Departures:

Skyler Butts, Lestter Yeh, Oliver Seifert

Lineup Analysis:

#1 Singles: Nikolai Parodi (Fr.) – UTR 12.41 – It’s really hard to say who’s going to play #1 for the Stags. Hull was the heir apparent prior to the ITA, coming off a solid season at #2 singles and earning the #1 overall seed, but he lost to the freshman who lost to Morkovine. My friends in high places tell me that Parodi was the best player in the draw, despite losing to Mork. Settles has never been shy about putting a freshman at the top of the lineup (see: Wood, Warren), and he held his own at the Small College Nationals after Mork withdrew. If he does end up playing #1, I think he’ll be one of the best #1’s in the country.

#2 Singles: Glenn Hull (Sr.) – UTR 12.64 – Jumping from #6 to #2, Hull had a rough start to his junior season last year, but he finished strong. He came up huge against Fagundes after CMS got swept in doubles in the Sweet Sixteen, but finished his season with a loss to Chicago’s David Liu. After losing to the freshman Parodi in the Fall tournament, he’ll probably spend another year at #2, but, make no mistake, he could just as easily occupy the top spot. If he ends up at #2, he’s probably the best #2 in the country.

#3 Singles: Daniel Morkovine (Sr.) – UTR 12.42 – Just taking a look at Mork’s last two individual tournaments (the Ojai and the ITA Regional), Mork has beaten Maassen, Hull, Brenner, and Parodi. Once thought of as a weakness in CMS’ lineup, Mork has improved every single year. He’s added weapons to his consistent game by beefing up his forehand, and he was among the best #3 singles players in the nation last season (though a season-ending loss to Sven Kranz certainly put a damper on an otherwise fine season). He’s known for going 3 sets with almost everyone, but he tends to win those matches, and all his close match experience has made him clutch. He will be a monster at #3, if that’s where he plays.

#4 Singles: Max Macey (Sr.) – UTR 12.14 – Macey has been a staple in the CMS lineup for the last several years, but he had a breakout season last year. Playing #4 singles, he lost just two DIII matches in the regular season (one coming when he was playing #1 singles against Chapman). Unfortunately, he finished his season with back to back losses to UT-Tyler and Chicago, but that shouldn’t take away from his accomplishments. He entered the Fall tournament as the 3rd-seeded Stag and made it to the quarters before falling in two close sets to Chase Lipscomb. With yet another talented and experienced senior in the lineup, you’re starting to get why I think highly of this CMS team.

#5 Singles: Alex Brenner (Sr.) – UTR 12.14 – For the longest time I thought Brenner was a transfer, but it turns out he wasn’t on the roster his freshman year because the team was just too good. That makes his rise over the last four years even more impressive. He’s been on the edge of the singles lineup for each of the past couple years, notching some impressive wins over the likes of Malech and Mandic from Pomona-Pitzer along the way. This past fall, he finally earned a seed in the ITA Regional and made the best of it, beating Mandic, Dulle, and Yasgoor en route to the semifinals. If he can continue that form, the Stags will add yet another senior to the bottom of the singles lineup. Are you starting to see a pattern?

#6 Singles: Julain Gordy (So.) – UTR 12.01 – As a freshman, Gordy nearly beat Hull in his very first collegiate tournament, but his spring season was derailed by injuries. Though he never got back in the starting singles lineup, he was a staple in doubles at the end of the season, and teamed with Morkovine to win the ITA doubles title this Fall. Whoever fills out the bottom two singles spots here is anyone’s guess, but the Stags could do a lot worse than this supposed doubles savant.

Also In the Mix: Patrick Wildman (Jr.) – UTR 12.19 – Finished last season at #5 singles. Won every DIII dual match he played. Missed the fall tournament, coming back from injury. Avinash Vemuri (So.) – UTR 11.59 – In and out of the singles lineup last year. Won the consolation bracket at the ITA. Jay Yeam (Fr.) – UTR 11.86 – Four-star freshman beat Bryant Johnson in his first collegiate match. Daniel Park (Fr.) – UTR 12.31 – Made the quarterfinals of the ITA as an unseeded freshman before falling to Morkovine. Jake Berber (Fr.) – UTR 11.73 – Earned a seed in the fall ITA. Lost in the first round, but beat Joshua Kim and Kaylan Chadalvada in the back draw. May be the fourth best freshman in his own class.

Schedule Analysis:

Here’s the schedule

Again, you can read it for yourself. CMS always has a ridiculously tough schedule: this year they’ll be playing 15 ranked teams to go with a robust out-of-division schedule, the Ojai, and the Pacific Coast Doubles tournament. The highlights include:

• Stag-Hen including a first round match against a rising Wesleyan team, a potential semifinal match against Wash U (to make sure this ranking thing is corrected), and a potential finals match against Bowdoin. A win in this tournament would establish them as a national championship contender.
• Texas quad against Trinity, Middlebury, and Emory. Midd and Emory figure to be national championship contenders in their own right. What better way than a neutral site match to establish a pecking order? I’m glad the Stags will leave 6th Street at least once this season before nationals.
• Home “Pool C” matches against CMU (March 12th), Chicago (March 23rd), and Williams (March 28th)
• Typical SCIAC schedule with Redlands at home and Pomona-Pitzer “on the road”

Look for the Stags to regain the Stag-Hen title, go 2/3 in Texas and sweep the rest of the schedule to go into the post-season as the #2 overall seed. If Pomona-Pitzer or Redlands can’t get into Pool C again this year, they’ll beat Santa Cruz in the first round and play the winner of Whitman/Tyler in the second round yet again en route to the Elite Eight. They really need to take care of business in the regular season this year to avoid a team like Chicago in the Elite Eight again this year.

Conclusion:

If I haven’t made my opinion very clear, I think the Stags will be competing for a championship this year. I think their fate will be determined by whether or not the seniors who haven’t been consistently playing in the starting lineup (Macey, Brenner) can play like seniors. Good luck Stags!