Kickoff: D3Midwest10s

I’m not going to lie. I’m a little nervous about making my blog debut. Just kidding.

For those of you that don’t know, my name is D3Midwest10s, and I am the new Central Region blogger. Without giving my identity away, please know that you are in good hands, kind of. I’m not going to be the funny blogger, the mean one, or the nice one. I’ll try to stick to the facts and give everyone a fair shake. If you haven’t connected with me on social media yet, please do! I’m @d3midwest10s on Twitter, but you should also feel free to reach out over e-mail at d3midwest10s@gmail.com

At this point, it doesn’t look like I’ll be covering Coe, Denison, or Depauw, so follow D3RegionalNEC for consistent updates on those teams.

If you didn’t read D3Northeast’s kickoff article, check it out here. I followed the same format as D3NE, and just like he said, feel free to call me out in the comments if I missed something.

WASH U (National Ranking: 4)

Key Losses: Josh Cogan (mostly #1 doubles), Tyler Kratky (#3 doubles/#3 singles)

Biggest questions for the 2016-2017 season: 1. Will somebody step up for meaningful wins at #1 singles? The Bears have struggled at the top spot for the past couple years, but if they can find success at #1, they could be really, really strong. 2. Along those lines, will someone step up to fill the hole at the bottom of the singles lineup? Last year, way too many players rotated between the #6 spot, and Coach Roger Follmer couldn’t really find a consistent performer. I have my eyes on Bernardo Neves, the freshman Greek talked about in his players to watch article. 3. Who is going to be the vocal leader? Tyler Kratky was a fiery leader for Wash U last year, and the Bears need Jeremy Bush and John Carswell to lead this team. There were a few matches where the Bears came out flat vocally last year. 4. Will Wash U be as strong as always come season’s end, even if they struggle in the beginning of the year? Despite a less than stellar start to last season, the Bears turned it around late, at UAAs. Turning the season around seems to be a Wash U trend.

Player to watch: Johnny Wu, junior. Since his freshman season, Wu has been a rock for the Bears. It looks like he trained a lot over the summer and had some fantastic results. Wu could take over the top singles spot this year and find success there, too, while also seeing more time in doubles. I’m excited to find out how he does at ITAs this weekend.

Way too early season projection: Wash U is a hard team to characterize. They lose Tyler Kratky and gain one freshman that appears to be able to make an immediate impact in the lineup. If I looked at Wash U’s roster without knowing the team those gents played for, I’d say they would come in 4^th place at UAAs and miss NCAAs given the ever-growing strength of the NESCAC. But, those fellas play for Wash U, so they’re going to find a way to at least take third at UAAs and qualify for NCAA quarters, finishing the year in the top 10.

CHICAGO (National Ranking: 5) 

Key Losses: None!

Biggest questions for the 2016-2017 season: 1. Can the Maroons become a strong doubles team? Too often, Chicago faced 2-1 or 3-0 deficits after dubs. We all know the Maroons have what I think is the strongest singles lineup in the country, but without a doubles presence, it will difficult to win the UAA and NCAAs. 2. What impact will the freshmen make? Coach Tee has no problem placing a freshman in front of a veteran if he thinks the rookie will make a greater impact. The Maroons have their best recruiting class ever this year, so a few of these guys can make the lineup. 3. Will the Maroons win the UAA and NCAAs? It’s kind of crazy, but just a short few years ago, Chicago wasn’t in the UAA conversation, and they rarely qualified for the NCAA tournament. Now, we’re talking about a national championship! 4. How will the juniors like Nick Chua, David Liu, Peter Leung, and Luke Tsai adjust from being underclassmen to team leaders? As freshmen, there weren’t any expectations surrounding the group; last year, the expectations got to them a couple times; will they be able to put it all together this year?

Player to watch: David Liu, junior. In singles last season, Liu won at every spot, and you could just tell that he would have been one of the top #2 players in the country had he competed there all year. Honestly, if Liu continues his insane development, I could see him taking over the coveted #1, held by Nick Chua for the past two years. While I don’t know anything about the freshmen, Liu was the strongest doubles player on Chicago’s lineup last year, so I’d love to see him play #1 again this year, perhaps with a new partner, and then slide Chua to #2 or #3 doubles.

Way too early season projection: Mark my words, the Maroons will win their first ever UAA and NCAA championships in 2017.

CASE WESTERN (National Ranking: 8)

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

Biggest questions for the 2016-2017 season: 1. Without CJ Krimbill and Louis Stuerke, is Case a top 10 team? These gents more or less guaranteed the Spartans at least 2 points every match. 2. Can Case continue its doubles dominance? Without the depth necessary to compete against the top teams in the country in singles, the Spartans will need to step up big time in doubles. Luckily, they have one of the best doubles coaches out there. 3. Which freshmen are going to buy-in to Coach Todd’s workhorse mentality? Case’s website lists 9 freshmen on their roster. Inevitably, a few of those are going to quit prior to graduation, but one of them could become the next Krimbill. I’m excited to see who begins to show early signs of stardom.

Player to watch: James Fojtasek, senior. Fojtasek proved to be more than competent in both singles as well as doubles last year, and judging by some of his summer results, he could hold his own at #1. Unfortunately, we won’t see Fojtasek until the New Year (he won’t be playing ITAs from what I heard). Not only is Fojtasek projected to be the best player on the Spartan roster, but he will play an important leadership role.

Way too early season projection: I see the Spartans dropping a bit this year. It looks the bloggers have underestimated Case a bit in the past, especially last year, but I think this is the season they fall to the 15-20 range, claiming 5^th place in the UAA, and missing out on NCAAs.

KENYON (National Ranking: 11)

Key Losses: Sam Geier (#1 Doubles/#1 Singles), Robert Turlington (#2 Doubles/#3 Singles)

Biggest questions for the 2016-2017 season: 1. How will Sam Geier’s absence from the lineup impact Kenyon? Many didn’t expect it, but last year, Geier proved to be among the top 5 singles players in the country and was more or less a lock for at least 1 point each match. Given that this Kenyon squad isn’t as strong as in years’ past, they’re going to rely on a lot of 5-4 wins, which will be tough without Geier there. 2. How strong will the Lords be in doubles? Much like what I wrote about Case, Kenyon unfortunately won’t be able to compete against the top teams in the country in singles. However, if they can take control of doubles, expect some upsets. 3. Tristan Kaye? Geier and Kaye came literally out of nowhere to win the NCAA doubles title in 2016. They barely squeaked into NCAAs, through the 4^th spot, and had an average season up until that point. Nevertheless, senior Tristan Kaye now owns an NCAA doubles championship, and I’m curious if that will bring some confidence for the Lord, specifically in doubles.

Player to watch: Tristan Kaye, senior. The dude won a national championship! There’s no way I can pick anyone else to watch than him. We all know what Kaye is capable of in doubles, but it will be interesting to see if he has developed a bit as a singles player. At this point, I’m not sure who will rise for the Lords, but Kaye could be instrumental for the top of the doubles lineup and the bottom of the singles lineup.

Way too early season projection: Despite not having the greatest season in school history, Kenyon will cruise to a NCAC title, be ranked in the 15-20 range, and fall in the NCAA round of 16.

UW-WHITEWATER (National Ranking: 17)

Key Losses: Jake Humphreys (#1 Doubles/1 Singles), Michael Treis (#1 Doubles/#2 Singles), Scott Butler (#2 Doubles), Matt Bisbee (#6 Singles), Michael Schnarr (#3 Doubles, #4-6 Singles)

Biggest questions for the 2016-2017 season: 1. How will the graduation of half the starting lineup impact the Warhawks? Head Coach Frank Barnes is the best in the business developing players, but will there be enough studs to take over last year’s superb seniors? 2. Is someone on the Warhawk squad destined for national success? Jake Humphreys came into UW-Whitewater as a two-star recruit. Like I said, Barnes knows how to develop players, so I’m curious to see if there will be someone that can find success at the top singles and doubles spots. 3. Can UW-Whitewater mirror the same, historic success of the 2015-2016 season and pull off some huge upsets?

Player to watch: Zane Navratil, junior. Navratil was the most consistent singles performer for the Warhawks last season, though he didn’t crack the doubles lineup too often. I’m curious to see how he will contribute at presumably the #2 singles spot.

Way too early season projection: Well, I’m going to use that dreaded phrase – rebuilding year. I can see UW-Whitewater falling back down to the 25-30 range and departing early (maybe 2^nd round) from the NCAA tournament. Give it one year until the Warhawks do big things again.

GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS (National Ranking: 20)

Key Losses: Andres Saenz (#1 Doubles/#2 Singles), Mitch Elofson (#3 Doubles/#4 Singles)

Biggest questions for the 2016-2017 season: 1. How will the Gusties perform in the 4-6 singles spots? Last year, Gustavus was extremely top heavy, but 4-6 struggled. If the Gusties want to be successful, they’ll have to perform better toward the bottom. The fellas that played 4-6 didn’t really see playing time prior to last season, so I’m excited to see how they’ll perform in their second years as consistent starters. 2. Will doubles still be a strength? This is Gustavus, so of course doubles is traditionally a strength, and they’ve relied on that in the past. 3. What are we going to see from Mohanad Alhouni? If Mohanad can be mentally strong, he should be able to compete with anyone, but he had a couple head-scratching performances last year. More than ever, the Gusties need Alhouni to play like a stud all the time.

Player to watch: Zach Ekstein, junior. Like I said, Gustavus’ singles lineup was very top heavy last year, and Ekstein was an incredible #3. Projected as the #2 this season, Ekstein will need to continue his winning ways. There is a chance he partners with Alhouni at #1 doubles, which has traditionally been a successful position for Gustavus.

Way too early season projection: While the losses of Andres Saenz and Mitch Elofson to graduation are big, most of the projected starting lineup is experienced, unlike last year. So, I could see the Gusties moving up a couple spots in the national rankings, somewhere in the 15-20 range, easily winning their conference title, and falling in the NCAA round of 16.