I’m going to continue to plea for a successor until I get an e-mail or the season ends, whichever comes first. Please e-mail me at d3tennisguy@gmail.com for more info
Coach: Steve Bickham, 4th season
Location: Claremont, CA
Preseason Ranking: #9
Blog Power Ranking: #10
Twitter Handle: @defendthecoop, stopped tweeting at the end of the season. The Twitter prospects for this team are very much in flux.
Team Hashtag: #CluckCluck
Overview:
In the offseason, I was feeling pretty good about the 2017 Pomona-Pitzer season. They return a bevy of talented seniors including Jake Yasgoor, Graham Maassen, Spencer Simonides, Anthony Bello, and Josh Kim, who are complemented well by a rising junior class. An abysmal fall tournament tempered my expectations, and left the team with more questions than answers. Where is Graham Maassen? Will Jake Yasgoor improve in his senior year, or will it be more of the same? Can Coach Bickham make a great doubles lineup out of all of this talent? In my head, Pomona-Pitzer was going to be competing with CMS for the conference championship this year, but now I’m more worried about them falling behind Redlands (who outperformed them in the Fall ITA) and missing the tournament entirely (which seems like more of a likelihood than a possibility if there are truly just 5 Pool C spots this year).
Key Additions:
Avery Bicks (#359), Quin Hirsohn (#219), Jonathan Miller (#404)
Key Departures:
John Kim and Thomas Low
Lineup Analysis:
#1 Singles: Jake Yasgoor (Sr.) – Yasgoor seems like he’s been a perpetual #2 for the Sagehens since he first arrived on campus. After Connor Hudson graduated, he seemed poised to take the top spot last season, but a 5-match mid-season losing streak pushed him back to his happy place at #2. With Maassen nowhere to be found in the Fall, Yasgoor figures to start the season at #1 again this year. He was the only Sagehen to make the quarters of the Fall ITA, but it doesn’t seem as though he has improved much over the years. Pomona-Pitzer really needs him to step up for his senior season.
#2 Singles: Graham Maassen (Sr.) – After playing mostly #3 and #4 in his first two seasons, Maassen had a phenomenal junior season, notching wins over guys like Jemison, Heinrich, Deuel, and Lipscomb. He didn’t play in the fall tournament, and I don’t know why, but the Hens will need more of that this year if they’re going to stay in the top ten. He’s very solid on both sides, and is one of the most mentally tough guys out there. I’m hoping he’s healthy and ready to go at the start of the season.
#3 Singles: Sam Malech (Jr.) – Malech was a Revolving Door-type guy as a freshman, but improved throughout his first and second years to cement a starting job by the end of his sophomore season. He finished last season among the better #4 singles players in the country and entered the fall season as one of just two seeded Sagehens in the Fall ITA. He fell to Hull there, but that’s nothing to be ashamed of. His forehand is a weapon, and if he ends up playing the top half of the lineup, he’ll have to continue to develop that to hit winners off the ground.
#4 Singles: Josh Kim (Sr.) – Josh Kim kinda came out of nowhere to finish last season at #3 for the Sagehens. I’m not certain, but he must have been recovering from injury. He went 6-2 in just 8 matches last year, and was seeded behind Malech in the fall tournament, so he’s a bit of an unknown. His fall tournament was uninspiring, but I’m throwing him in the middle of the lineup on precedent. I don’t know much about his game.
#5 Singles: Anthony Bello (Sr.) – Bello is obviously one of the best doubles guys out there, but he’s had more mixed results bouncing around the singles lineup. When Coach Bickham allows him through the Revolving Door, he tends to play him higher in the lineup owing to his big-hitting game. Last season, he had success at #4 Indoors, but his outdoor results were less inspiring. Nevertheless, it’s nice to have a senior with a big forehand and a big serve near the bottom of the lineup. Look for him to start the season strong at Indoors.
#6 Singles: Joshua Gearou (So.)/Marko Mandic (Jr.)/Spencer Simonides (Sr.) – Pomona-Pitzer is notorious for rotating several players through the bottom couple singles spots. Simonides and Mandic are both experienced guys with some success at the bottom of the singles lineup. Simonides is a big serve/big forehand kinda guy. Mandic is your more prototypical aggressive baseliner. Gearou is an effective grinder. Bickham will be able to rotate these guys around based on match-ups. Also expect to see doubles specialist Kaylan Chadalavada and sophomores Sam Gearou and Spencer Chiu spend some time getting reps at the bottom of the lineup.
Doubles – Pomona-Pitzer is a historically strong doubles program, but last year wasn’t quite up to their usual standard. Between Maassen, Simonides, Chadalavada, Bello, and Yasgoor, Bickham will have many accomplished doubles players to choose from. It might take a while to find the right chemistry, but by the end of the season, expect Pomona-Pitzer to be regularly taking 2-1 leads against even the strongest competition.
Schedule Analysis:
This is your classically ridiculous Pomona-Pitzer schedule. Here are the highlights:
- Spring Break Walla Walla! The Hens will travel to the PNW for a couple good indoor matches before Indoors against GAC and Whitman (always dangerous at home)
- National Indoors. For the second straight year, the Hens will head to Cleveland for Indoors, where they’ll look to improve on their 7th place finish from a year ago. Their first match is against Chicago, a Pool C competitor.
- The Stag-Hen. Their first round bout with Case Western will be crucially important for their Pool C hopes. A loss will send them to the backdraw with (potentially) Wesleyan, Skidmore, and Whitman
- 9 Home matches against ranked teams. Most importantly for Pool C purposes: Tufts and Williams. They also get the Stags at home this year, as they hope to finally win the cross-street rivalry.
Conclusion
Despite their poor showing the fall, I still feel that Pomona-Pitzer is a team that could surprise some people if Graham Maassen is back and playing well. They’ll have good doubles, and may have a singles lineup featuring five seniors and a junior, which has traditionally been a recipe for success in DIII tennis. Nevertheless, I feel that the rest of Pool C keeps improving, while the Hens have been going backwards since their incredible 2015 season. I predict a 10-15 finish and another missed post-season for the Hens, but I hope they prove me wrong.