Regional Roundup Part 2 – Liberty League, NEWMAC, Centennial Previews

I’m back!  Did you miss me?  We have some terrific conference tournaments this weekend, and D3West and D3Northeast have gotten some great previews out there of the SCIAC and NESCAC tournaments.  There are several other tournaments going on, and I’d like to highlight three of them right here, right now.  First off, we have the Liberty League tournament, which pits Skidmore vs. Hobart in one semifinal, and RPI vs. Vassar in the other.  Also going on is the NEWMAC tournament, with a Babson vs. MIT rematch most likely for the finals.  Lastly, we have the Centennial Conference tournament, where Johns Hopkins and Swarthmore look like they will go back up against each other.  Let’s get into some previews!

Liberty League Preview:

The Liberty League tourney actually has a brand new format this year, with only the top four teams in the league going to a neutral site to grind it out.  This year’s extravaganza will be taking place on the campus of Cornell University which should be a lot of fun!  The weather looks absolutely beautiful, with temperatures in the low 70s.  Here are the semifinal matchups, taking place on Saturday, along with some previews:

#1 Skidmore vs. #4 Hobart @ 3pm

Skidmore took out Hobart 8-1 in season, but the match was closer than the score.  Skidmore is a better team for sure, but the doubles matches were 8-6, 9-8, and 9-7, and the match had three three-setters in singles.  The Skiddies have been a bit down coming off a 7-2 loss to Stevens, but Hobart has a recent loss to Vassar where they were dominated in four singles matches, and they also fell to Hamilton in the match before that.  Advantage, Skiddies.  I think Skidmore will bring it in this match, and win again by a score of 8-1. 

#2 RPI vs. #3 Vassar @ 6pm

This is the main event of the weekend, as these two squads had a 5-4 war just twelve days ago, where RPI took two of three doubles, and grinded out a singles split for the big win.  RPI plays much better doubles overall than Vassar, and I like them to take at least two, and maybe three of the doubles matches.  In singles, I like Vassar at #1 and #2, especially at #1.  Nick Litsky (VC) is a very underrated #1, and he is a tough matchup for McKinley Grimes.  Daniel Cooper (VC) and Brandon Mazzara will have a tight match, and that one could go either way.  Cooper plays well when he can hit through indoor courts, but I’m still going to pick him over Mazzara.  At #4, I loooove the Engineers, where Sherman Uyeno basically does not lose.  #3 will be closer, with Tristan Wise (RPI) and Christian Phelps, but I’ll take the freshman Wise.  #5 and #6 will decide this match, and Juan Felipe Laso (VC) is a tricky little guy at #5, and is just a tough out, but I’ll go Stephen Baxter (RPI) at #6.  Overall this match will be tight, and I think the matches themselves will be much closer than the first time around,  where every match was straight sets.  I’m going RPI 5-4, once again.

Skidmore/Hobart vs. RPI/Vassar @ 2pm Sunday:

I can’t predict the future, even though sometimes I think I can, but here’s how Skidmore matches up against both RPI and Vassar.

Skidmore vs. RPI:

Skidmore and RPI had a nice battle back in early March, with RPI taking 2 doubles matches, but Skidmore rallying for 5 doubles matches and the 6-3 win.  I don’t think either team will sweep doubles in this one, and both teams are very different than they were on March 8^th.  Regardless, I’ll take Skidmore 6-3 in this scenario, with Tristan Wise (#3) and Sherman Uyeno (#4) both getting singles wins for RPI.

Skidmore vs. Vassar:

Skid took out Vassar 8-1 way back in February at the good old Saratoga YMCA, with Nick LItsky (VC) getting the only win for the Brew Crew.  I definitely think this match will be closer than that, but Vassar is just not a team that could upset Skidmore because of their lack of doubles strength.  It’s possible they take one doubles match, but I think Skidmore sweeps.  In singles, Vassar matches up well at #1, but Skidmore is just better at every other position.  I do think the matches will be closer, and #3 Christian Phelps (VC) can be a tough guy to play.  I’ll go 7-2 Skidmore, if this matchup happens.

NEWMAC Preview:

To be honest, the NEWMAC doesn’t have the luster of the Liberty League, just because the winner doesn’t get an automatic bid, and there’s a good shot both MIT and Babson will make it in via Pool B, though TCNJ would like to play spoiler to that.  Regardless, my name is D3Regional, and thus I will preview the rematch that is MIT vs. Babo.  Technically, MIT vs. Babson is just my prediction for the finals, which isn’t exactly going out on a limb.  Here are the matchups for the semis, taking place on Saturday at Babson.

Clark vs. Babson @ 12pm

Babson took out Clark 9-0 in the regular season, though there were a couple superbreakers in singles, though Babson also sat their #1, Roberto Perez.  I don’t think there’s any chance Clark takes it, but I’ll go Babson 8-1.

Coast Guard vs. MIT @ 3pm

Coast Guard is talented, but I still don’t expect them to give MIT much trouble, as the Engineers defeated them 8-1 relatively easily in early April.  Maybe MIT will sit a couple of players to rest up for the final if they sweep doubles, but I’ll take MIT 8-1 once again.

Assuming MIT and Babson pull through, this sets up a really good final, and a rematch of a pretty great match from about a month ago, where Babson won 6-3, handing MIT their first conference loss in almost an eternity.  Here’s the preview:

Babson/Clark vs. Coast Guard/MIT @ 1pm:

All right, let’s go match by match for this gem, which again, I’m assuming will be the Babson Beavers vs. the MIT Engineers.  Also when one team beats another for the first time since 1985, the match gets the UTR treatment!  Here are the UTR matchups!

#1 Singles: Roberto Perez vs. Kevin Wang:  This is the one spot where I think MIT has a big advantage.  Perez can grind well, but Wang just hits such a clean ball, and he won 2 and 2 in the last matchup.

MIT 6-3, 6-4

#2 Singles: Isaac Thylen vs. Eugene Oh: Thylen is really good, and took out Oh the first time out, but Oh has been nice as of late, defeating CJ Leong (NYU) in 3 sets and falling to Michael Arguello (Deis) 6-4 in the third.  Should be a great one, but I’ll take Thylen in three.

Babson 4-6, 6-4, 6-1

#3 Singles: Victor Vu vs. Bryan Lilley:  Lilley has vaulted up the Engineer lineup as of late, playing #6 against Babson in early April but #3 recently against Brandeis and NYU.  He’s a good player, but when Vu is on, he is really on, and I’m going to go against the UTR and take the Beaver.

Babson 6-4, 7-5

#4 Singles: Felix Wee vs. Kenny Gea:  Gea has struggled this season, with a 2-6 record overall, and the two wins were over UMass Boston and Wheaton College.  Wee is having a breakout sophomore season, and I’m taking him in straights.

Babson 7-5, 6-2

#5 Singles:  Ramone Doyley vs. Jeff Sperling:  Here is where the matches get reaaal interesting.  Sperling has had the better wins overall, over Alec Siegel (Brandeis) and Henry Lee (Bates), but Doyley took out Sperling 3 and 2 in the dual match.  I’m going to pick Sperling to turn it around and win over Doyley, who is often very streaky.

MIT 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

#6 Singles:  Roy Murdock vs. Kris Bonner:  Not entirely sure on this matchup, as Connor DeFiore for Babo or Dennis Garcia for MIT could both get in.  Either way, as the UTRs indicate, I love MIT and their depth.

MIT 6-2, 6-2

So there it is; that’s a good old-fashioned singles split!  I’m going mostly with the UTR’s, except for Victor Vu over Bryan Lilley.  It will come down to the doubles, where I believe MIT is going to rebound and take two out of three, winning at #1 and #3.  Add that all up, and that’s a 5-4 NEWMAC Championship for MIT!

On a separate note, it will be interesting to see if both MIT and Babson get Pool B bids as expected.  If Babson wins the NEWMAC, I think that Babson and TCNJ will get a bid, with MIT being left out.  If MIT wins the NEWMAC, I see MIT and Babson both getting in and TCNJ getting left out.  Just my thoughts!  On to the next tournament…

Centennial Conference Preview:

Hopkins has dominated the Centennial Conference, winning the tournament every year since 2006, when Washington College took home the crown.  The Centennial Conference does not get a fancy site like Cornell for their tourney, but instead holds matches at the higher seed.  Here are the matchups for the semis, taking place Saturday:

#1 Johns Hopkins vs. #4 Haverford @11 am:

#2 Swarthmore vs. #3 Franklin & Marshall @ 1pm:

Hopkins beat up on Haverford 8-1 the first time around, and despite Hopkins’ 8-1 loss at the hands of NC Wes, I’m still going to take the Blue Jays.  On the other hand, Swarthmore vs F&M could get tight.  Swarthmore won 6-3 a few weeks back, although talented freshman Blake Oetting did not play for Swat.  I expect Swarthmore to turn the tables on a couple of the singles matches that they lost the first time around, when Mark Fallati (#2) and Yosuke Higashi (up to #4 from #5) both lost, and ultimately win 7-2.

Finals:  Johns Hopkins/Haverford vs. Swarthmore/F&M @ 11am:

A few weeks ago, I probably would not have even previewed this match.  Hopkins has been down lately, however, and Swarthmore is a young and talented team that is hungry for a title.  Here is the UTR matchup:

This is a really tough matchup for Swarthmore because of the doubles.  The way Hopkins is playing, however, I could realistically see Swarthmore winning #2-4 and keeping it real close.  If Buxbaum doesn’t play at #1, Swarthmore could really win #1-4, though taking all of those is a big task.  First time around, #2 and #3 both went three sets, though Hopkins took both and won 9-0.  I think this match will be much closer, but this experienced Hopkins bunch will find their groove and ultimately pull it out.

Prediction: 6-3 Johns Hopkins, wins at #2 and #3 doubles, #1, #4-6 singles)

That’s all I got!  By the way, new ITA rankings came out today.  Check em out here.  Noah Sprinkel (Coe) is up to #3 in the central, and Carl Reid/Vlad Murad (Colby) stayed strong at #3 in the northeast doubles rankings despite their loss to Wesleyan.  Next week will be a huge week on the blog prepping for NCAAs so check back soon for all the coverage!  D3Regional out.