It makes sense that a streaky player would be a streaky blogger – that’s science, right? This season I will be preparing season previews for the eight nationally ranked teams in the central: Chicago, Wash U, Kenyon, Case, Kalamazoo, Denison, GAC, and Oberlin. All eight will drop this month and I’ll begin with the… Kalamazoo Hornets!
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Coach: Mark Riley
ITA National Ranking: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
ITA Regional Ranking: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Blog Power Ranking: 26
Twitter Handle: @kzoomtennis
UTR Power 6: 67
Last season on Real World D3 – Kalamazoo:
Kalamazoo went 13-6 last season with losses to: Kenyon (3-6), Sewanee (1-8), Mary Wash (2-5), Denison (3-6), Trinity Tx (2-7), and Texas-Tyler (4-5). Kalamazoo was not able to participate in postseason play last year due to NCAA violations — these violations ended The Streak. And for the first time in 74 years, Kalamazoo will not be defending an MIAA championship. Kalamazoo ended their season with a signature win: an upset of Case coming back from 2-1 down after doubles. Kalamazoo defeated Case with quality singles play at the top, and thankfully for the Hornets (and my scalding hot take from the beginning of the year) they return Metzler, Henry, and Vinson from their top four. Kalamazoo had to play for pride last year due to punishments more than likely out of the student-athlete’s control, and I predict that they’ll come out swinging to start the season.
Key Departures: Elan Dantus (3 Singles, 3 Doubles), Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado (2 Doubles, 5 Singles), Guillermo Dominguez, Skyler Norgaard, and Henry Fuchs
New Additions: Ian Yi (12.28 UTR – 4 Star TRN), Casey Johnson (9.62 UTR – 3 Star TRN)
Lineups: Kalamazoo projected singles lineup:
1 Singles: Ian Yi (1st Yr) – 12.28 UTR 
“Oh man, oh man. Not again, not again.” – the MIAA
Kalamazoo got a really good freshman here. Yi will get slotted in at the top of lineup and be tasked with leading the Hornets from the top every time he walks out on court. Michigan born and raised (I think), Yi’s following in the footsteps of a lot of big dogs at Kalamazoo. If Yi can play up to his UTR then Kalamazoo’s top three gets really dangerous – like woke up like Baker Mayfield dangerous.
2 Singles: Tytus Metzler (2nd Yr) – 11.76 UTR 
Last year Metzler and Henry went back and forth at 1 and 2 with Metzler holding the spot from March on. That experience will be invaluable as he moves down to 2, and also gives Coach Riley a safety net of being able to move Yi down and Metzler (or Henry) up if need be. Metzler routed Fotjasek, defeated Dimanche, Thompson, Hadlich, Thai, Paolucci, and Totten last year. That’s a fairly solid list of scalps for Metzler already, and if he can be a rock at 2 then Kalamazoo gets that much more dangerous. The wins over Paolucci, Fotjasek, and Thai really pop out to me because there’s a chance he’ll see Paolucci or Thai again this year in very, very important situations.
3 Singles: Daniel Henry (3rd Yr) – 11.42 UTR 
Gone for the Fall but back again. Daniel Henry, who started tennis late, has continued his meteoric improvement every year and I predict that he’ll continue that trend. Henry likes to set up shop right on the baseline, dig some trenches and hang out for the next couple hours as opponents attempt to push him back. His strength is his strength and his emphasis on positioning. Daniel Henry could feasibly play any of the top three spots (I think that’s true for Yi and Metzler too), but if he’s slotted in at three…it’ll be a long, physical day for threes against Kalamazoo.
4 Singles: Allen Vinson (4th Yr) – 10.64 UTR 
Vinson’s game just makes me feel like I should be wearing my best white shorts and polo with a glass of perfectly chilled water when I’m watching. Vinson’s one hander (which I’ll admit bias towards) and more traditional game style makes him an aesthetic joy but also helps keep his strokes simple in times of stress. Vinson will have to step up his results from last year where he dropped some close matches throughout the year. His crucial win over Stroup in last year’s 5-4 win over Case and his status as one of two seniors leads me to believing that he’ll be markedly more clutch this year.
5 Singles: Alex Cadigan (4th Yr) – 10.38 UTR 
Cadigan didn’t get much burn in important matches last year, but that all changes this year. Already named an MIAA player of the week this season, Cadigan will have to continue his success in more important matches. Cadigan, a senior and presumably captain, carries an additional weight as the 5 singles player because many venues only have four courts, so he’ll have to be focused on the match, on supporting the 1-4, while also focusing his own mind and body for his singles match – not always an easy thing to do: to flip your game on and off like a switch. It’s an underrated skill, one that doesn’t get as much consideration as it maybe deserves, and it’ll be important for Kalamazoo’s success that Cadigan (or whomever plays 5 and 6) relish and command this situation as soon as possible.
6 Singles: Casey Johnson (1st Yr) – 9.62 UTR
I deliberated between Johnson and Ray here for a while, and I think that either player could reasonably play this spot. I erred on the side of the freshmen for two reasons: he won two consecutive state titles in Wisconsin and just narrowly missed on a threepeat (47-0 career going into the final and lost after serving for the championship) and I think that freshmen in their first full season of college tennis – especially one who has played a lot of jr tennis (former 4 star) – improve very quickly in their first season because they’re getting to train every day with likeminded and similarly leveled players…All day, Everyday.
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Next Up: Zach Ray (3rd Yr) – 9.96 UTR 
Projected Doubles Lineup:
Daniel Henry didn’t play during the Fall ITA, and since I cant’t really imagine Coach Riley keeping him out of doubles it doesn’t make much sense to project doubles teams based off the Fall combinations. I think that Vinson gives Kalamazoo a mobile doubles piece that can shore up and gut out either 2 or 3 Doubles with his experience and that low slice bh return. I can also see Kalamazoo hiding Yi at three doubles, putting Metzler and Henry at 1, and then using some combination of Vinson, Cadigan, Johnson, and Ray to balance out their two and three positions. Doubles will be very important for Kalamazoo in any upset attempt because while they have (imo) the horses to compete in singles; they’ll need to prevent 0-3 or 1-2 starts to give them a shot at an upset.
Regionally Ranked Players after the Fall: Ian Yi (19), Tytus Metzler (20)
Schedule Analysis: 
Kalamazoo opens their season on the second day of February in a home contest with Wabash. Kalamazoo washed Wabash last season despite a double dose of Reifeis, and without him I predict an even more lopsided victory. They follow Wabash with UChicago in their first D3 match of the year. This is the first time Kalamazoo and Chicago have played since April 2014 where Chicago defeated a Branden Metzler led Hornets squad in their final season in the PCLTL era (Pre-Chua, Liu, Tsai, Leung). Both programs have gone through immense changes since this match – just look at those rankings :o. Chicago’s best lineup is anyone’s guess (I think choosing Chicago’s lineup is the closest to a game of bingo: we can all choose our lineup numbers based on any criteria. but in the end we’re all just hoping to see if our numbers get called), so it doesn’t make much sense to think about this dual match in a match by match analysis. Chicago won 7-2 last time after a doubles sweep and I can see it following a similar opening unless Kalamazoo sneaks out 2 or 3 doubles since Chicago’s trotting out a minimum four doubles All-Americans in any lineup. However, I think Kalamazoo will use this match to put out a memorandum telling the rest of the central that their singles lineup is going to be legit at the top. Yi, Metzler, and Henry will form the third or fourth best top three spots in the central region. After Chicago, Kalamazoo takes a week off of competition before playing a down Coe team. Ideally, Kalamazoo leaves February with two dominant wins over Wabash and Coe and a “statement loss” to Chicago. 
March is the weirdest scheduled month in Kalmazoo’s season and it begins with a battle against Denison. Denison picked up fuel for their Big Red Hype Train last season by defeating Kalamazoo in relatively simple fashion (no three setters, 2-1 lead after doubles). This year I think the reverse will be true and Kalamazoo will jump ahead in the second tier of central teams (Chicago and Wash U make up and fill tier one). After this match on March 3rd, the Hornets wait until the 24th to get going again with a three match stretch against Oglethorpe, Sewanee, and Emory. Similar to February, Kalamazoo will hope to come out of this road trip with two decisive victories and a “statement loss” to Emory. 
April has three big central region matches for the Hornets: Case, GAC, and UWW surrounded by a ton of conference matches they’re hoping to run through (they scheduled a lot of weekday matches). These matches are important (kind of) because Kalamazoo likely wants to dominantly win their first MIAA title since the sanctions, but it’s not really in doubt that Kalamazoo will win this conference easily and make NCAAs as a team. The Case, GAC, and UWW matches that punctuate April will be addressed as they come, and depending on the season’s storylines in April they could all have postseason implications. 
Their tournament starts at the beginning of May with NCAAs following soon after that. If Kalamazoo’s top three pan out like I think they can, then Kalamazoo could be a 2 or “dangerous” 3 seed in an NCAA regional. The 1 Doubles team, Yi, and (depending on Yi’s play) Metzler all have a schedule laden with opportunities, and if they seize the right ones at the right time (and the committee vibes with them) then there’s a chance that we’ll have some Hornets competing in the Individual tournament.
They graduated or lost five players from last season and only added two freshmen, so Kalamazoo must focus on keeping their players healthy: mentally and physically through the year. Seven players, a lot of weekday matches, and a fair amount of travel will make an emphasis on organization from the coaches and players a paramount concern. Vinson and Cadigan will be called upon to lead this team on and off the court, and with only seven players team cohesion and unity is even more important for the team’s success.
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns just comment below, tweet me: @newd3central, or slide into my gmail: newd3central@gmail.com.
Lastly a word on Andy Murray’s announcement:
I used to hate Andy Murray. I only considered him as an elite pusher; whose game was built on being boring, uninteresting, and moody. These thoughts persisted for a long time, and I never really considered him a real member of the Big Four. I’m not exactly sure what changed for me. 
Maybe I grew up and began to empathize what it meant to solely carry the weight of a nation’s tennis hopes or how tennis is a profession for these guys where the goal is to win, and not to entertain me, a fan, with the most aesthetic and entertaining game. Maybe I began to understand tennis, and as a result Andy Murray, better as I improved my own game and realized all the considerations (albeit to a considerably lesser degree than any professional tennis player) that attempt to infiltrate your mind as you put yourself in more competitive and stressful situations. Or that as I improved, I gained an appreciation for what I previously considered: boring, soft, or uninteresting – that Andy Murray was, and remains, one of the best tacticians to ever play this game. 
Or maybe it was how Andy Murray speaks out on situations he believes are unjust and uses his platform to actually give thoughtful opinions instead of a canned PR response meant to deflect rather than answer. Andy Murray (Roddick too, maybe it’s an Andy thing) would be a welcome addition to the commentator’s booth should he go that way because he has a wildly quick wit and an unbelievably high tennis IQ – tennis sure needs some new commentary blood. (@d-quazzo still out there?) 
In the toughest era of mens tennis, Andy Murray was able to win 3 Grand Slams, Davis Cup, the ATP Finals, 2 Olympic Singles Gold Medals, 14 Master 1000s, and 45 ATP titles overall. He held the world number 1 for 41 weeks, has a 77.7% career winning percentage, 101 Top 10 wins all time, and won an ATP title for 12 consecutive seasons (2006-17). Against the three greatest players of all time: Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic: Andy Murray has 29 victories and a 14-17 record in finals. He’s also the only payer to defeat Federer in a grass court final, Nadal in a clay court final, and Djokovic in a hard court final. Andy Murray became one of the best returners the game has ever seen, his backhand showed that the two-hander could be elegant and efficient, and cemented himself as a legend in an era of GIANTS. Andy Murray may not have been the best player in the Big Four, but he was without a doubt one of them. 
I’m sad that the Big Four era of tennis that raised me as a tennis player is beginning to come to a close. I didn’t think that Andy would be the first one to call it and it sucks that it’s not on his terms. I hope that he makes it Wimbledon so that he can have an incredibly deserved “Agassi 06 US Open” moment of his own. 
Andy Murray deserves your respect and admiration, he sure as hell won mine.
-newCentral.
The bit on Andy Murray was very nice newCentral! Thanks for adding it