Holy closing time, Batman, it’s after 2 am again. Speaking of Batman, how awesome was the Batman vs. Superman trailer? Oh man, that was a quick loss of focus. What am I doing with my life? Meh. Today was so damn beautiful outside, and I was out for most of the day (and out for most of the night if you catch my drift). But seeing as nothing good EVER happens after 2am (don’t listen to D3AS, it really doesn’t), I’m here on back to back nights to bring you the second portion of my NE Weekend Preview. Really, take a second to think about that. Two straight nights, where after going out I (selfless hero that I am) came home and knocked out a preview instead of passing out. Therefore, considering I likely won’t finish this post before 3:30 am, cut me some grammar slack, ya dig? Sunday’s slate of matches won’t quite have the hype of Saturday’s blockbuster names, but there are a couple of very important matches with quite a bit of possible postseason impact. Why should this weekend be different than any other in the NE? Today’s matches weren’t very entertaining, unless you’re a fan of Amherst and Middlebury. Both NESCAC favorites delivered early knockout blows to their opponents by sweeping the doubles.
Sunday at 10am, Amherst @ Wesleyan: At the beginning of the season, I might have given this one a full match by match preview, but now the matchup does not warrant one. Amherst is coming off an 8-1 blowout of Williams, a team that beat Wesleyan 6-3 last week. Amherst not only looks like the class of the CAC, but are looking more and more like the second best team in the country. Sorry Pomona fans, apparently that direct win only gets you about a month of love. I do not believe that Wesleyan can make NESCACs, but an upset here would certainly leave the Cards feeling like they could contend next year (something I’ve said repeatedly that they will do). Amherst’s dubs have been top notch of late, and I’m feeling a dubs sweep here. Prediction: Amherst def. Wesleyan 8-1
Sunday at 10am, Trinity Ct @ Colby: Not a ton to note here. Tufts is coming off a 7-2 win over Colby, and Trinity Ct beat Tufts earlier in the year. However, we do have a couple of important Individual NCAA battles here. Traff/Mbithi are the #2 doubles team in the region, and Reid/Murad are the #4 team. Neither team is in danger of dropping out with a loss, but Reid/Murad can solidify their spot in the top 4. In singles, Reid is #4 in the region, and Carpenter is down at #12. If Carpenter were to take down Reid, the Bant would have his best regional win of the season. Prediction: Trinity def. Colby 7-2
Sunday at 10am, Washington & Lee @ Tufts: Regional previewed this matchup, and the Brandeis vs NYU matchup in his regional roundup, so check that out for an in-depth look. It’s worth noting that Tufts has two matches on the same day. While the Jumbos will certainly be favored, there’s a chance that Tufts will rest a couple of their guys for their match with Williams later in the day. The Jumbos can’t afford to sit a bunch of their guys against W&L, which in turn could cause some seriously tired legs later on Sunday afternoon. Prediction: Tufts def. W&L 7-2
Sunday at 2pm, Williams @ Tufts: This is Tufts’ first shot to stay alive in the hunt for NESCACs, and it’s also a match that Williams desperately needs to help them find their footing. The Ephs were blown today at Amherst, and another loss would all but eliminate them from the Pool-C hunt. Tufts has done nothing to prove that they will beat Williams, but I see this match staying tight. Williams will certainly have the dubs edge, but Tufts does have some depth. That depth is what makes this match interesting. Williams has proven to be strongest (if you can call it that) in the middle/bottom of their lineup, which is Tufts’ strength as well. The Jumbos lineup has changed around for the majority of the year, but I like their lineup from last weekend with Gupte and Ali (their studly freshmen) at the top, and Jacobson down at #5. If Tufts can stick with the Ephs through dubs, this little piggy could be close all the way home. Let’s hope the tired legs for the Jumbos (who are playing two matches tomorrow) don’t become a factor. Prediction: Williams def. Tufts 6-3
Sunday at 2pm, Middlebury @ Bates: Ok, we’ve finally come to the biggest match of the day, and the one getting the match by match treatment. Keeping this till the end of the post just rewards the true readers who stick with my #WallOfTexts. As of right now, this is a battle for 1st place and to stay undefeated in conference-play. Both teams still having Amherst left on their respective schedules, so whomever wins will be in control of their own destiny, and will have a great shot at the regular season CAC crown! Let’s get to the previews.
#1 Doubles: Campbell/Heidrich vs. Planche/Ellis. PUSH! Ah yes, a doubles swing match in my first preview section! The Midd team is on a 6-match winning streak, but the ITA champs of Planche and Ellis are also coming in hot, winning 5 of their past 6 matches. This match also has some big NCAA implications riding on it, as these two teams are ranked 5th (Bates) and 6th (Midd) in the region. The loser of this match, probably has very little shot of making NCAAs. Although there is still a chance that both could make it. Tight match, Bates has to have it. Bates, 9-8 (7).
#2 Doubles: Smolyar/Farrell vs. Ordway/Lee. Advantage Midd. Bates’ #2 team have been all over the place this season, while the Panthers’ #2 team has been up, up, and a little more up. This is Midd’s strongest doubles spot, and while Ordway and Lee are known to get hot, I think this Midd team will be too much for them. Middlebury, 8-4.
#3 Doubles: Frost/DeQuant vs. Rosen/Schwartz. Slight advantage Bates. Frost and De Quant have been damn good in regional play, but (with the exception of Williams, who is on a down year) the two have yet to face either of the top doubles playing teams in the NE (Bates and Amherst). Rosen and Schwartz have been a big part of the Cats’ success so far this year, and I expect that trend to continue. Bates, 8-5.
#1 Singles: Smolyar vs. Planche. Advantage Midd. Believe it or not, the last NE player to beat Smolyar was Planche in the 3rd round of the Fall ITA. That match was 7-6 in the 3rd, and since then Ari has been a man on a mission. He is now the #1 player in the region, and has out of region wins over Chuddy (Pomona-Pitzer), Lipscomb (Redlands), and Ruderman (Emory). He has to be considered one of the 5 or 6 best players in the country right now, and while I think Planche can push him, I cannot go against Smolyar. I mean, there can only be one. Smolyar, 7-6 (5), 6-3.
#2 Singles: Farrell vs. Ellis. Slight advantage Midd. Ellis has some great wins like Murad (Colby) and Chen (Wesleyan), but also has a bunch of L’s on his season record. Farrell has fewer losses, but is a year younger in the experience department. Neither of these players are particularly big guys, but both are also gamers. If this one goes 3-sets, I like Ellis to come up with the mini upset, however…Farrell, 6-4, 6-4.
#3 Singles: Campbell vs. Schwartz. Slight advantage Midd. Schwartz has been talked about a lot this year, for his performance both on the court and off. He started out by rolling through Cali, but has clearly come back to earth since. Campbell also started out the year at a blistering pace, but has also cooled off slightly of late. Experience trumps here. Campbell, 7-5, 6-2.
#4 Singles: Frons vs. Feldman. Advantage Midd. Frons got absolutely worked today by Tercek (Bowdoin) so it’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back tomorrow. Frons does go hot and cold, but I think he has to be favored over Feldman. In Bates’ two biggest wins, Feldman has come up aces, taking down Simonides (Pomona-Pitzer) and Savage (Bowdoin). Bates might need another high rolling Feldman performance, but I can’t bet on it. Frons, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
#5 Singles: De Quant vs. Rosen. PUSH! Absolute beast of a matchup down here at #5. De Quant has been money, with his only singles loss coming to Macey at CMS. Rosen also fell to Macey, but had a poor A-South swing as well. Rosen’s win over Tercek (Bowdoin) is more impressive than De Quants super win over Wolstencroft (Bowdoin) earlier today, and I like the Bates man to come out victorious in the battle of unheralded freshmen. Rosen, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.
#6 Singles: Mountifield vs. Ordway. Slight advantage Midd. A very sneaky Mountifield switch today from Coach Hansen. Van Der Geest had been good, but having the senior experience at the anchor spot is invaluable. Midd is a better team with Mountifield in its lineup, if he has his confidence. A nice win over Roddy today should help Courtney’s confidence. On the other side of the net, Ordway has been another key player in Bates wins this spring, getting big wins against Wesleyan and Bowdoin. His serve is big, but if they play outdoors, and it should be sunny all day in New England (thank the good lord), Mountifield’s return grind should negate that factor. Mountifield, 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
Total Score: Bates takes a doubles lead, and Midd comes roaring back in singles. Sound familiar? Bates will almost certainly need two doubles points to have a shot in this one, and even if they do it won’t be easy. Midd is looking closer to Amherst’s level than whomever is #3 in the CAC (right now it’s actually Bates), and this will be a great test for the Bobcats. I haven’t been a big believer in them, but if they can keep this match close (CLOSE LOSSES!!!) I will begin to think of them as more of a legitimate Pool-C contender. Total Match Prediction: Middlebury def. Bates, 6-3.