Regional Players of the Week: March 10th-March 17th

REGIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: MARCH 10TH-MARCH 17TH

A-SOUTH

Player: Kenny Zheng

Team: CMU

Results: 6-0 in Singles throughout the week

Recap: Zheng was a revelation during CMU’s Spring Break, as he went undefeated at #5 singles against five top 20 teams, including the #1 team in the nation.  Whether it was a two-setter, three-setter, tiebreaker set, or a game of horseshoes, Zheng came up big for the Tartans.  His victories certainly meant a lot as CMU had two 6-3 victories and two 5-4 victories.  The list of “The Zheng Master’s” victims include Kratky (Wash U), Kim (PP), Entiwistle (GAC), and Jones (Redlands).  Given where Zheng has been playing in singles, it may be time to give him a look in the doubles lineup where CMU has recently struggled.  Either way, let’s enjoy the ride Zheng has taken us on and look forward for more matches to come.

What’s next: CMU travels to the Mary Washington Quad to play Hopkins and Mary Washington next week.

Honorary Mention: Abhishek Alla (CMU), Alex Ruderman (Emory)

Fondest Stag-Hen Memory: The blog’s twitter presence.  But actually, the debate between Donkey Kong and Boo on who to choose in Mario Tennis.  Not gonna lie, my second choice would be Waluigi.

#1 seed: Wichita State, Like the Shockers, Zheng has come out of nowhere and has been one of the best players in the country (at his position). Just like his Mid-Major counterpart, Zheng has not lost all season, though he has been playing what some would consider to be “weaker” competition at #5.

CENTRAL

Player: John Carswell

Team: Wash U

Results: 4-0 in singles at Stag-Hen, 4-1 in dubs

Recap: Carswell proved he could play with the big boys at 2 and probably solidified himself as the best 2 singles player in the country (Amherst?). He took down Heaney-Secord (CMU), Halpern (Emory), and then Dorn (CMS) in a matter of 2 days and that is extremely impressive. Add in a win over Trinka from Bowdoin and you have a very impressive week in California. It seems he and Cogan will be a much better 2 doubles team as well although they got blown off the court against CMS, but they are just crazy good all over. Wash U’s 2-4 singles are going to continue to be heavily relied upon so Carswell will need to keep up the impressive streak in order for team success. I believe he will.

What’s next: In terms of D-3 matches, the only thing that they have before the UAA tourney is a matchup with Case and Chicago on April 12-13. The Case match will be a fun one to see as doubles will play a key role. Carswell/Sabada will be a big singles match.

Honorary Mention: Juan Luis Chu (GAC),

Fondest Stag-Hen Memory: No doubt the CMS commentary. Favorite quote: “When Dorn was born, the doctor spanked him and Joe turned to the doctor and replied, ‘Nice forehand’” Doesn’t get any better than that. Well done Stags.

#1 Seed: Florida, Johnny is the top of the line POTW. He has been a beast all season, and has just come off a week where he played and defeated some of the country’s top competition. He is my overall #1 seed (of the #2’s) moving forwards, and an odds on favorite to win the whole damn tournament.

NE

Player: Sam King

Team: Bowdoin College

Results: 2-3 at #1 doubles, and 3-1 at #3 singles

Recap: I’d like to take credit for Sam King’s solid week. I have previously called him the “weakest” part of Bowdoin’s lineup, and last week I mentioned his abysmal 3-set/super record. Then he went out and had a great week against some of the country’s top competition. He teamed with Wolstencraft to beat WashU’s and Pomona’s #1 doubles teams, and he took down Jeremy Bush, Connor Hudson, and was leading Moestick when that match was seemingly called. His only singles loss came at the hands of Marino who has not lost a set to a DIII player this season. Nice work Sammy, keep on keepin on.

What’s next: Bowdoin needs a little recovery time after that jam-packed week. They will take on Trinity Ct and Denison on Wednesday and Thursday before heading back to Maine.

Honorary Mention: Aaron Meltzer (NYU), Steven Wu (NYU), Pat Ordway (Bates)

Fondest Stag-Hen Memory: Dorn pulling his pants down after getting passed by Carswell. Dorn was up 6-5 in the 2nd set breaker, didnt get enough on his volley, Carswell curved a forehand by him down the line, and Joe immediately pulled down his pants. Classic response

#1 Seed: Virginia, This is funny to me because Sam is anything but cavalier on the court. However, he plays in one of the country’s best conferences (NESCAC/ACC) and just like Virginia he is full of great defense. He has kind of had a surprisingly great season and has been pulling out close matches just like the Cavs.

 WEST

Player: Zhenya Pereverzin

Team: CMS

Results: 6-0 in the Stag-Hen at #1 and #2 doubles, #5 and #6 singles

Blurb: You could basically pick any of the Stags from this weekend’s impressive display, but Zhenya was the only one who never even came close to losing. He was totally dominant in doubles, and his singles results included an impressive throttling of Savage (Bowdoin). Moreover, the senior seems to have made a giant leap forward in singles this year. Pereverzin has always been a force in doubles, notably making the finals of nationals his freshman year, but singles has been a different story. At times, he looked out of shape and disinterested in the last couple years, especially when it came to exhibition matches, which I always thought were a measure of a player’s heart. This year, he’s transformed himself into one of the best singles players in the country (if not the best), and will be a key to the Stags’ quest for a national championship.

What’s next: The Stags have already shown that they can handle anyone the A South, the Central, or the West can throw at them. This Friday, they have a huge match against Northeast’s Amherst (Friday the 21st at 10 AM PST)

Honorary Mention: Jake Yasgoor (Pomona-Pitzer), Patrick Lipscomb (Redlands), The Rest of the Stags

Fondest Stag-Hen Memory: The extensive discussion of Robby Erani’s eating habits

#1 Seed: Arizona, Zhenya was a great case for Wichita St as well, but somebody had to be Arizona. He has gone undefeated on the season as well, though he has played some bigger names/tougher competition than Zheng. Plus the geography works out, which D3West will tell you is a huge plus.