Tuesday, March 15
#5 Amherst @ #10 Pomona-Pitzer 1pm
NEVER, bury the lead. Although the Trinity Ct vs. Sewanee has an earlier start time, this match gets top-billing for a reason. Amherst has played 4 matches in the past two days and have dropped a total of 0 points. Yup, they’re 36-0 on the year. Something tells me that streak might end tomorrow, but I really do think that Amherst is the favorite in this match. PP is coming off nice wins over Trinity Texas and Wesleyan, but I think Amherst is a whole other beast. I also think that Amherst’s throttling of Chapman was it’s A-lineup, so that’s what I’m going to base my lineup on going into the match by match preview. This match is not only important for national ranking, but could be crucial for Pool-C. D3AS will be writing a Pool-C update at some point this week, but the whole thing is already something of a mess. Amherst is still one of the two favorites for either the first or 2nd Pool C spot (along with Chicago, depending on if Midd can beat Amherst). We’ll start sorting out scenarios again soon, but for now let’s take a look at the potential matchups.
1D) Zykov/Yaraghi vs Maassen/Simonides: This is a big one. Zykov and Yaraghi must be playing well to take the top spot from an All-American team like Solimano and Revzin. Last year PP took a 2-1 lead en route to the win, but I think Amherst takes the swing-match this year. Amherst 8-6
2D) Solimano/Revzin vs Yasgoor/Kim: The other possibility with Solimano and Revzin is that they’re simply not playing their best doubles this early in the season. They struggled with a Vassar team in a 9-7 win, and beat Chapman 8-5 at #2 dubs today. If they play well, I think they are one of the 3 best teams in the country, but you have to play that well to beat a seasoned team like Yaz/JK. PP 8-5
3D) Fife/Bessette vs Bello/Chadalavada: Normally I think this would be an immediate edge to PP, but Fife/Bessette played well all fall and seemed to cruise in the past couple days. Meanwhile, the PP #3 team has had all kinds of trouble. I’m gonna go with Amherst in a not-so-close 8-5 win.
#1) Zykov (12.52) vs. Yasgoor (12.96): As you can tell by the extremely high UTR rankings, this one should be a real battle. Yasgoor has played more matches this year, but I think that could also be a little to his detriment, as PP’s legs should be a bit more worse for wear than Amherst’s. I think this one will be back and forth, but I like Zykov in 3 sets. Amherst, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
#2) Yaraghi (12.64) vs. Maassen (11.92). Maassen has had one of the more extreme up and down season of anybody in the country so far. He beat Jamison, Saenz, and Deuel this weekend at the Stag-Hen, but also suffered losses to Rosen (Bates), and Chen (Wesleyan) since Indoors. Overall he’s playing very well, but you have to play better than very well to beat Yaraghi. Gimme AY, Amherst, 7-5, 6-4, in an absolute grind-fest.
#3) Revzin (11.95) vs Kim (11.86). Rev-O must be playing some good singles to play above Solimano, but you can’t take too much from his wins in the past couple of days. He still lost to Schidlovsky (Williams) at the 1st round of ITAs at the fall. Both guys have a ton of experience, but gimme the more 2016-tested senior here. PP, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.
#4) Solimano (12.33) vs Bello (11.63). Interesting contrast of styles here, and I’m not sure that bodes well for Mr. Bello. However, I might be missing something with Solimano, he lost early at the ITA, and is now playing lower in the lineup than he has in almost 3 years. Lots of serve and volley in this one, forcing Bello to make the mistake. Amherst, 6-2, 6-3.
#5) Bessette (12.38) vs Malech (11.41). Not many people have seen Bessette play this year, but rumor out of the Amherst camp is that the kid’s lights out. This is the biggest discrepancy in terms of UTR, but Malech has been on an absolute tear and I think he introduces the freshman to his first big time match. PP, 7-5, 6-3.
#6) Fife (11.13) vs Mandic (11.45). This is a match that I really don’t know what to do with. If Mandic is still out, and this is Josh Kim, Gearou, or even Chadalvada, I think Fife takes it. But if Mandic is back healthy, it could be close. Fife has always been streaky, but the fact that he’s in the lineup now shows once again that he has put in at least some work with the hopes of starting. I’m not sure that he’s gonna be starting all year-long, but I think Amherst is at its best when he does and is playing with confidence. Amherst, 7-6, 6-2.
There you have it, the match totals up to a 6-3 Amherst win, but not without some drama. Doubles, as always, will be a huge tone setter. If Amherst can take a lead going into singles, I think it’s going to be very difficult for PP to dig themselves out of that hole. Here’s hoping for another fantastic day of tennis! But wait, there’s more…
#34 Trinity vs #29 Sewanee 12pm
This match deserves a little window of a preview, and I don’t think D3 Regional got to it in his famous weekly Regional Roundup. To be fair, Trinity is still ranked #20 in the ITA based off a couple 2015 wins. The Bantams started today against Bowdoin, and took a hard 9-0 L to start their spring season. There was no sign of Traff for the Bantams today, which just decimated an already barren lineup. Glickman and Matingo are guys who on the right day can play with some #1’s and #2’s (although they totaled 6 games against Tercek and Trinka today), but Segal is better suited to be a #5-6 and the bottom of Trinity’s lineup will impress me if they take any points from teams in either of the NESCAC’s top two tiers. Luckily, they’re taking on a team who has had some depth issues as well. Sewanee’s top spots are generally considered to be their strong points, and the Tigers play solid doubles to boot. Trinity’s doubles are also hurt by the loss of Traff, who, along with Mbithi, was one of the top doubles teams in the region last year. I think the most likely doubles outcome is a Sewanee sweep (if the same teams play), but that’s always tough to pull off. Then I like Sewanee at the top of the lineup, with some close matches at the bottom. All in all, I’m going with Sewanee and a close 6-3 win. Hopefully the Bants prove me wrong.
#30 Skidmore @ Cal Lutheran 5pm
Skidmore takes on the Kingsmen, and that’s about as much hype as this match should get. Skidmore was swept in dubs by PP, but that’s not a huge surprise. However, I don’t know if Coach Bickham pulled guys after the 3-0 lead, or giving rest was always his intention, but it got a little close for comfort (again) for the Coop last night. Skidmore won 4 of 6 singles matches (at #1, #3, #4, and #6). All i know for sure is that Maassen played #2 and Gearou played #5. That likely means Yasgoor played #1, and if so then Leung’s 2&2 win is all the more impressive. Leung will be a favorite against Valdez, and that’s about the one thing that’s been working for Cal Lu so far in 2016. Skid’s depth, although not as strong as in recent years, is significantly stronger than Cal Lu’s. The Kingsmen might take a doubles point, but I like Skid to to rebound nicely and take this match 8-1.