I can’t believe it’s finally here. Indoor Nationals. 6 days ago, I didn’t think we’d be able to get a ridiculous amount of previews done as well as a whole Draftkings competition once again. But yet again, we have surprised the doubters and have pulled it off. Even with all the previews that have gone out this week, there is still one more article left to be had. That article is, of course, the world-famous ASouth Indoors article about a plethora of random things I feel like talking about. We’re talking X-Factors. We’re talking uniforms. We’re talking Indoors history. We’re talking Case Western crowds. So, sign your DRAFTKINGS team up by emailing myself (d3atlanticsouth@gmail.com) or d3northeast@gmail.com and sit back and watch the show. Indoors is about to begin and that means we are officially underway in 2019. Let’s start this article with a classic – X-Factors.
X-Factors of Indoors, Team by Team
Normally, I go through my X-Factors of last year, but we don’t have time for that this year. You’ll just have to trust that I’m an expert in DIII Tennis. Not sure if I’d trust that, but you’re here reading the site. So, I guess you have some trust that I know what I’m talking about. Let’s begin.
Emory – First Timers
Freshmen at #4 Singles, #5 Singles, #6 Singles, and #3 Doubles. That’s 4 spots directly affected by little to no big college match experience for a team that is gunning for a championship. A bit scary, right? Absolutely. Luckily for the Eagles, they get a pretty decent schedule here in Cleveland which will allow these young guns to shake off some Indoor National jitters. Emory is almost guaranteed to make the Finals – I am extremely interested in how these guys respond to playing players that are actually of their level on the nation’s biggest stage.
Chicago – Erik Kerrigan
To say this guy has had a tumultuous career with the Maroons would be a general understatement. With his up and down play as well as some general conversations about his commitment, Kerrigan has weathered the storm (so far) and has continued his tennis career. He enters Indoor Nationals as Chicago’s biggest question mark… and that happens to be #1 singles. He can hang with the best of the best but has not done so in the past year or so. A strong Kerrigan means Chicago is in every single match from top to bottom no matter who they play, with a pretty good chance at winning. A weak Kerrigan means Chicago is looking over their shoulder. Which one shows up this week?
Wash U – Doubles Energy
Wash U has made the bold decision to put two freshmen in at doubles. This means at 9AM ET tomorrow against the #10 team in the country, Follmer is relying on two 18 year olds to be absolutely 100% ready to take on a CMU team that can punch you in the face right away. Whew! The Bears, who always seem to bring a great vibe to their lineup intros and warmups, will need to make sure their freshmen feel comfortable – the last thing you want is a freshman serving down 3-0 to Levine/Downing.
GAC – Underdog Spirit
GAC worked the underdog label last year and parlayed it into a top 8 ranking when it was all said and done. How can you forget GAC pushing Emory to the final match in the first round last year? How about when they dismissed a strong CMU team on their way to one of their most successful Indoor Nationals of the past 10 years? GAC had a lot to play for because they knew they could compete with the best of the best. It’s a different vibe this year with the departure of some of their all-time best players. How will GAC respond to being a true underdog once again? Without a home crowd at their back, the Gusties have their work cut out for them.
CMU – Yannick Bloem/Vayum Arora
How many times can you say that there is a doubles team of seniors that did not play all of last year? Well, CMU has that in the Bloem/Arora combo that is set up to debut at #3 doubles tomorrow. This team is truly an unknown – I have no idea what kind of game Bloem is going to bring and I have no idea what kind of fire Arora will bring after a full year off. It should be interesting because CMU has two strong teams going ahead of them. This team could make the difference between an unlikely upset and a status quo result for the Tartans.
Pomona Pitzer – Short Term Memories
You cannot feel good if you are Pomona Pitzer coming into Indoors. PP has historically not played well when they’ve traveled east. Whether that is because of the indoor courts, jet-lag, lack of In-N-Out, no one can know for sure. What we do know is that this is a team that literally just lost to #21 Brandeis on their home courts. That is a result with a lot left to be desired. Now, we add in the fact that they’re a long way from home and we get a pretty risky situation. PP needs to come in here fresh – who cares if you lost to Brandeis? That’s in the past. Prove yourself amongst the best of the best.
Whitman – Staying Postiive
Whitman is in for a rough go of things this year after an all-time year last year. They graduated so many players that we are seeing players with seemingly made-up names enter the lineup. It’s quite crazy. But, this is a team that has always been built upon team chemistry and belief. That does not have to stop at Indoors, no matter what the result. Whitman can absolutely escape Indoors with at least one win and probably keep their national ranking (for a bit of time, at least). Go into this tournament thinking that you belong. I mean, you were in the Elite 8 last year. Pretty darn good.
Case Western – ON IT
Case Western is back on the Indoors scene and they certainly will bring the fire. The hope is that they get some fans out to the Cleveland Racquet Club as they did a few years ago for Indoor Nationals. The Spartans live off of fire and emotion – a quiet racquet club will definitely affect their play and basically deem home court advantage useless. In the spirit of the Spartans, let’s make the motto of this weekend the following two words. “ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN IT.”
ASouth’s Things to Watch
Cleveland Youth – One thing I remember about this tournament being held at the Cleveland Racquet Club some years ago was how pro-Case the crowd was, despite some of them not really being affiliated with the team at all. It was quite an experience. With the tournament being held at the same place once again, it will be interesting to see how many people the Spartans get out. What really will matter is if they are loud as Case Western has come to expect out of their fans. Turn the volume up on your laptop from time to time as you watch – you may here some Cleveland youths in the background cheering for their new favorite team.
The Final Decision – Last year was the first year in a long time that Indoor Finals were played to decision. While this doesn’t affect the overall match, it does leave us wanting more – not only for our DraftKings competition but also for our general enjoyment. I want to watch Emory/Chicago or Emory/Wash U or whoever it is do battle to the very end after three matches at a high level. It’s just more exciting that way. Here’s to hoping for a 5-4 match in both the 1st and 3rd place matches.
NOMENCLATURE – Never have we ever seen such a diverse and quite honestly, amazing group of names. Here are the names of Indoors that I particularly enjoy:
Andreas Mueller-Immergluck
Jansen Comadena
Rajul Chikkalingaiah
Koki Takabatake
Radha Vishnubhotla
Rex Serituk
Malachi Coleman
Pushkar Shinde
Joel Hug
Xavier Sanga
Yannick Bloem
Like, c’mon! That’s just an amazing set of names. You won’t find that many places else. Other than maybe the NFL.
This – https://twitter.com/WashUmTennis/status/1098694102709882882
Enough said. Great work.
DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAFTKINGS – With 51 submissions as I write this at 2AM on Indoors Friday, we have essentially matched our # of competitors from last year. We also have 51 more submissions than any other DIII Tennis Blog has in total views. See what I did there? Draftkings keeps this whole weekend light. A whole weekend of intense tennis needs a break and that is what DRAFTKINGS is here to do.
Who’s the best freshman? Will it be close?
Indoors is where I declared Jemison the best freshman in the country and it wasn’t close. Will there be that type of revelation this year? We’re talking guys like Mora, Esses, Raina, Gibson, etc. While most of them are playing at the bottom of the lineup, don’t be surprised if a Cassone-like talent is lurking trying to make his case for a top 2 spot on his team.
Haircuts
I will admit that I’ve been disappointed by the natural head gear that these teams have brought to this tournament for the past couple of years. We’ve gone from Team Mohawks to really a blob of hair on the heads of people right quick. Are we allowed to give those superlatives like we did in middle school that embarrassed the shit out of everyone? I’d really like to do that.
Friday’s Upset Watch
Friday almost always brings at least one upset at Indoors. Figuring out who that might be harder than it looks. PP and CMU are the two best candidates to pull that early upset. Keep an eye on those matches if you are looking for some extra fireworks.
Conclusion
Admittedly, I am too old for this sh*t (this is my life motto) and I am about to fall asleep. Please sign up for DraftKings before I die and let’s all enjoy the inevitably wrong live stats but also a high level of play. One does not come without the other. Ask DI how their Indoors went with live stats. It won’t be perfect at all. ASouth, OUT.