Regional Roundup – Back on Track

I’m sure that all the bloggers thought I was MIA this week, but much to their chagrin, I am back with some regional roundup.  Nothing too fancy this week, as I had quite a bit of matches to preview, and the first of these matches is in like two hours!  Please disregard any typos (sorry Josh Kogan, a combination of Josh Cogan and Jackson Kogan) and focus on the tennis.  The results were much more status quo this week, as the only upset according to ranking was Mary Wash over CNU, and I certainly would not consider that an upset.  Will we have any upsets this weekend?  Here are my thoughts!

The Week that Was:

MIT def. Vassar 8-1:

Last Friday, MIT took out Vassar pretty easily.  MIT got the doubles sweep, and then sat Alex Cauneac and Tyler Barr (#2 and #3 guys) in singles.  Dan Cooper got a very good win, 6-4 in the third over Kevin Wang, but MIT won easily at every other position.  Nick Litsky did not play, which certainly hurt Vassar’s depth, as I really thought the only two spots they could compete at were #1 and #2.  MIT is definitely talented enough to be ranked, but they just haven’t had the chance to prove it, as the only ranked match they’ve played was a loss to Bates.  They take on Amherst this Friday, Brandeis on 4/28, and Tufts on 4/29, so they will have three great chances to get into the rankings.

#6 Case Western def. #37 Coe 5-3:

After Coe was swept in dubs, I assumed Case would roll in this match, and I assumed Case believed this as well, as they pulled CJ for singles.  However, Coe battled really well in this match, as Riley Galbraith took out Louis Stuerke at #2 in three sets, Ryan Hickman def. Kevin Dong at #4 in straights, and Brady Anderson had the great win over James Fojtasek at #1, 6-3 in the third.  I know Case probably had their sights set on Wash U later that day, but Coe showed that they definitely have top 40 talent, something that they had been unable to prove this year.  Coe also fell 6-3 to DePauw in a match where they lost at #5 and #6 6-4 and 7-5 in the third, so they are right there with top 40 teams.

#32 Brandeis def. Vassar 9-0:

After falling to MIT, Vassar then took on Brandeis, and the match was very similar.  Ryan Bunis took out Daniel Cooper at #1 singles in a super breaker, and outside of that, Brandeis dominated all of the other matches.  Once again, Vassar was hurt without Nick Litsky in the lineup, as Brian Granoff dominated Evan Udine at #2.  I thought that Juan Felipe Laso v. Tyler Ng could be a nice match at #4, but Laso playing up a spot was dominated by Michael Arguello.  Brandeis avoided a letdown after their big win over Bates, and Vassar continued to struggle against ranked schools.

#27 Mary Washington def. #20 CNU 9-0:

This match was a huge surprise to both myself and D3ASouth, as we had predicted a 5-4 CNU win.  There were a couple close doubles matches and a close #3 singles match, but for the most part, Mary Wash completely dominated this match.  CNU was missing David Reed to a wrist injury once again, but I still think Mary Wash would’ve won this match pretty easily regardless.  CNU, similar to Washington & Lee, must now rebound from injury, as they’ll take on Stevens this Saturday.  Stevens is certainly beatable after struggling to beat NYU on Wednesday, but I’d favor the Ducks right now.

#31 Skidmore def. #38 TCNJ 8-1:

NC Wesleyan def. #38 TCNJ 6-3:

The Lions lost to both Skidmore and NC Wesleyan this past week, and Jack August (#3) was the only guy who won singles matches in either match.  Against NCW, TCNJ took 2 of 3 doubles, but Pierce Cooper at #1 and Omar Bokhari lost in 3 sets en route to NCW taking 5 of 6 singles.  Sebastian Sikh had the nice win over Pierce Cooper, who continues to struggle, and Ioannis Brokakis also had a solid win over Mitchel Sanders.  Skid was very similar, except TCNJ did not take any doubles matches, as August won in a super, and everyone else lost in straights.  TCNJ is a hard-working team, but after August, they struggle a little with depth.  With Cooper and Sanders struggling recently as well, it’s hard to know where TCNJ can find five points against ranked schools.  They play CNU this Sunday, and I’m very intrigued by this match.  CNU is coming off the bad loss to Mary Wash and they will also be coming off a match with Stevens.  I like CNU in this, but TCNJ is in good position for the win.

#23 Stevens def. NYU 5-4:

I honestly expected Stevens to take this match very easily, but NYU came out and stole 2 of 3 doubles.  Yanik Parsch at #6 got a very good win at #6 over Will Persson, and Umberto Setter, finally in the lineup, beat Charles Drake at #2.  Stevens was able to win at all of the other spots, winning in 3 sets at #3 and #4.  NYU is always a dangerous team, as they showed here.  They do have some trouble putting it together in matches, but they are not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  They are deep and relatively strong at most of the singles positions.  They can struggle in doubles, but any team can get hot in doubles as they showed against Stevens.  NYU takes on Rochester on Saturday in essentially a match to see who doesn’t have to play Emory in the first round of UAAs.  After seeing the way NYU played against Stevens, I like the Violets!

The Week to Come:

Friday

MIT @ #14 Amherst:

MIT has a big opportunity this afternoon as they’ll take on Amherst at 4pm.  MIT has a very talented lineup as we all know, so they certainly have the skill to make this match fairly close.  Amherst is coming off a very rare 9-0 loss (maybe their first 9-0 D3 loss ever?) to Bowdoin, and people are starting to question their senior’s motivation.  I can’t speak to that, but they are definitely the favorite in this one.  I do like Anton Zykov over Kevin Wang in singles, but #2-4 should all be close.  At #5-6, I think the balance shifts to Amherst with the experienced Ben Fife and the freshman Justin Sun.  Kenny Gea, Jeffrey Bu, and Henry La Soya are all talented players, but I think Amherst is just better in close matches.  If MIT can play well in doubles, they can make it close, but I just think Amherst has the advantage at #1, #5 and #6, and while #2-4 should all be close, there’s just too much that has to go right for the Engineers.  Amherst 7-2

#2 Bowdoin @ #23 Brandeis:

After losing an incredibly close match to Tufts that came down to the final set, things won’t get easier for the Judges as they’ll host #2 Bowdoin this afternoon.  Bowdoin is coming off the 9-0 beat down of Amherst, and besides the 5-4 win over Wesleyan, they have won the rest of their matches by a 7-2 score or more, including CMS, Whitman, Stevens, and Amherst.  Basically, Bowdoin has dominated this year.  However, Brandeis seems to be getting better and better, and their #1-3 guys seem good enough to compete with most teams.  Brandeis did struggle at #4-6 against Tufts, and I think this depth will be an issue.  Deis is solid but a little inconsistent in doubles, and I think they’ll need a sweep to have any chance in this one, just because the depth for Bowdoin has been way too solid.  Brian Granoff is playing really well at #2 for the Judges, and him vs. Luke Trinka has the makings of one heck of a match.  Kyle Wolfe and Michael Arguello at #3 should also be a great match, as these guys played at last year’s ITA tournament, with Arguello winning 7-5 in the third.  Ryan Bunis at #1 is also coming off a really good win over Rohan Gupte of Tufts, so he shouldn’t be counted out against Luke Tercek.  If Brandeis can get the sweep, they’ll be in good shape, but otherwise, similar to the MIT v Amherst match, I think Bowdoin is the favorite at too many spots for Brandeis to win more than 2, or in a best case scenario, 3, singles matches.  Bowdoin 7-2

Chapman @ Cal Tech:

Chapman will visit Cal Tech this afternoon in a big SCIAC showdown!  The Panthers finally broke their 10 match losing streak with a 9-0 win over Occidental, and Cal Tech recently beat Oxy 8-1, so this is shaping up to be a nice match.  However, while I think the overall score will be quite close, I don’t think the individual matches will be all that close.  Chapman is very good at #1 and #2 with Brett Buford and Charlie Werman, and Cal Tech is very deep with Ruthwick Pathireddy at #3, his brother Sathwick at #6, Zixiao Li at #4, and Andre Liu at #5.  Chapman has played a more difficult schedule than Cal Tech, with losses to Brandeis, Vassar, Sewanee, Lewis & Clark, and CNU, while Tech’s toughest out of region matches have been against Wabash and St. Lawrence, leading to a much better overall record than the Panthers.  I think Cal Tech will take the 2-1 doubles lead, and will win at #4-6 singles for the very tight victory.  Like I said, I don’t think the matches themselves will be all that close, because these teams have very different strengths, but #3 singles could be the best one, with Sam Mitteldorf vs. Ruthwick Pathireddy.  If you have nothing to do at 2pm west time, check it out on Tech’s awesome live stream!!!  5-4 Cal Tech

Saturday

#27 CNU @ #21 Stevens:

The Ducks, who looked so good at the beginning of the year, with 5-4 wins over Swarthmore and Brandeis, and close losses to Chicago and Tufts, have looked just a tad down lately, with a 7-2 loss to Skidmore, and a too-close-for-comfort 5-4 victory over NYU.  CNU, similarly, had been having an excellent year until their #1 David Reed went down and they lost 9-0 to Mary Washington.  On their home courts, I think Stevens will come out and take 2 out of 3 doubles.  Singles should be pretty tight.  If Reed plays, CNU should have a much better shot with everyone playing down one spot.  I think Ben Foran v. Chiraag Shetty at #4 should be a terrific match with two seniors going at it.  Danny Polk and Steven Boslet at #3 should also be a nice match.  I’m expecting a few three-setters, but overall, I think Stevens is playing better right now.  Michael Feldman at #5 is also some fantastic depth for the Ducks.  I think it will be close, but my gut saying Ducks.  6-3 Stevens

#22 Swarthmore @ #29 Franklin & Marshall

F&M is still riding high after their upset of Mary Wash.  However, just on Tuesday, the Diplomats were crushed by Hopkins, failing to win a single set.  Advantage, Swat.  Mark Fallati and John Larkin have been money lately, Ari Cepelewicz and Simon Vernier have been solid, and Josh Powell has provided some really good depth down at #6.  Swarthmore did have to battle back from doubles deficits against both Mary Wash and Hopkins, so doubles might be a place where F&M can pounce.  I really like the Garnet right now though, as they are deeper than ever before, and very good at the top.  Swarthmore 7-2

NYU @ Rochester:

NYU heads up to Rochester this Saturday in the battle of not wanting to play Emory.  Of course, Chicago isn’t a fun prize, but either way, neither team wants to be seeded last going into UAAs.  The past two years, NYU has lost to UR in season, but have gone on to beat them at UAAs.  I think NYU is playing a little better right now, as they almost took out Stevens, and Rochester had a bit of trouble with Hobart in a 6-3 win.  NYU finally has Umberto Setter back in the lineup at #2, who is coming off a great victory over Charles Drake.  Overall, I do think Rochester plays better doubles, but NYU is improving after taking 2 of 3 against Stevens.  I think Rochester needs 2 doubles matches to take this match, as the Violets are pretty deep with guys like Matt DeMichiel and Yanik Parsch.  On the other hand, I would be remiss to not mention Masaru Fujimaki, the freshman from China who is having a very nice year at #1.  I like him over Sidd Thangirala.  Ben Shapiro at #2 is also a guy with a ton of experience.  Don’t count that guy out against Setter.  Despite Rochester’s experience, I think NYU just has a little more firepower.  NYU 6-3

Sunday

#37 Kalamazoo @ #18 Gustavus Adolphus:

Kzoo has been rolling right along with their #37 ranking.  Despite not having any ranked wins, they have 5-4 losses to both Whitewater and Denison, so they are capable of putting a scare in the Gusties.  Branden Metzler is rolling right along, and I mean rolling right along in the truest sense of the term, as he has not lost a match this spring!!!  This is of course according to the ITA website.  It might be wrong.  That’s a record of 13-0 with wins over CJ Antonio (Ogelthorpe), Aman Manji (Emory), Jake Humphreys (Whitewater), and Kevin Brown (Denison).  Metzler is currently #2 in the central, and him vs. Mohanad Al-Houni (#5) should be one heck of a battle.  The Hornets are also pretty deep, with Eric De Witt and Allen Vinson having nice years.  I just think GAC will be too good at doubles and too deep in singles, as Andres Saenz, Zach Ekstein, Mitch Elofson, and Tommy Entwistle are just too tough to all beat in one match at #2-5.  Kzoo has certainly raised their game against good competition, as they haven’t lost a match by more than 6-3, though I know Emory sat a few guys in that match.  I think Kzoo will get a couple upsets, but GAC should just be too solid.  6-3 GAC

#27 CNU @ TCNJ:

Just a few more previews to get through.  I can do it!!!  After playing Stevens, CNU will take on another New Jersey foe in TCNJ.  TCNJ has battled all year, but they just haven’t been able to break through against ranked teams, losing to Mary Wash, Hopkins, Skidmore, and NC Wesleyan (I know NC Wes was not ranked).  They did start the year with nice wins against RPI and NYU, but they have struggled since then, going just 2-4, though their schedule has clearly ramped up.  This is their best chance to get back in the rankings, as I’m not too sure what to make of CNU.  Again, they are a completely different team with or without David Reed.  TCNJ has just struggled in the tight moments in singles, losing 5 of 6 singles matches to NCW.  However, TCNJ battled with Mary Wash much better than CNU did.  I do think Mary Wash is playing better now down the stretch than they were a few weeks ago though.  Because of Cooper’s struggles lately (7 straight losses except for a win over Ithaca), and because the rest of the lineup has been pretty inconsistent, I think the Captains will bounce back and win.  6-3 CNU

Trinity (CT) @ #23 Brandeis:

A new-look Trin team will head to Deis on Sunday to take on the Judges.  Trinity certainly is not as good as in year’s past, but they aren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination.  They beat Colby 6-3, winning easily at every spot that did not involve guys named Reid or Murad.  They did lose 8-1 to Wesleyan, but they almost took a 2-1 doubles lead and they battled well in a few singles matches.  They have wins over Vassar and Chapman, so they won’t be giving any matches away.  Rex Glickman has struggled a little at #1, but he is certainly adjusting to playing in the lineup.  Ford Traff and Rutendo Matingo are good players with a lot of experience, and Aaron Segel played a ton his freshman year, and is now back in there at #4 as a senior.  Trinity is always tricky in doubles, as they’ve already shown this year, but if Brandeis takes two or sweeps, I think Brandeis can roll Deis to the victory.  I think Tyler Ng at #4 can definitely grind down Segel at this spot, and I favor the Judges at pretty much all the other singles positions too.  #1-3 should all be close though, and things could definitely get tight with some Bantam doubles wins.  Deis is very battle-tested right now though after matches with Bates, Tufts, and Bowdoin in just a couple hours.  I don’t think they roll, but I do think they win.  6-3 Brandeis

That’s it for this week.  Have a wonderful weekend everybody, I know I will.  D3Regional out!