Regional Roundup – Week Ending 4/11

Hey world! I switched it up a few days ago with my guide to improvement but it’s time to go back to my bread and butter, my salt and pepper, my Andre and Big Boi. Once again, I can go all day, but let’s talk about tennis. Anyway, with schools coming back from their spring breaks and getting into their conference schedules, good regional matches are slightly few and far between, but there are still a few gems. I have no fun middle section in between the recap and preview for yall, partly because I am unoriginal and could not think of anything, and partly because I want to get this out before the big matches on Sunday. Let’s do it!

The Week That Was (last week’s power rankings):

Friday

#37 Chapman def. Whittier 8-1:

Chapman held serve with another solid win in a potential trap match. They only dropped one set, at #5 singles, and while there were some close sets, the Panthers pretty much rolled through this match without much difficulty. Currently, Chapman is looking like #5 in the SCIAC, behind CMS, Pomona, Redlands, and Cal Lu, and while they are far from #3, I could see them beating Cal Lu on the right day. Overall, Chapman has done a great job this season at separating themselves from Occidental, a school that I have always thought of as on the same level as Chapman. Chapman will play CMS next weekend, the Ojai the weekend after, and the SCIAC tournament the week after that.

#38 Pacific def. George Fox 6-3:

Pacific started off the match by actually taking #1 and #3 doubles, and actually dominated them by winning 8-3 and 8-2. Except for a ten-point breaker at #3, every singles match was straight sets, with Pacific winning easily at #1, #5, and #6, and GFU winning big at #2 and #4. One note is that Brennan Faith (PAC) retired down 6-1, 4-1. Faith is a strong #2 and has wins over RPI and Whitman, so let’s hope he isn’t seriously injured. Pacific’s showdown with Whitman is this Sunday in Walla Walla, and the Boxers will hope to avenge a 6-3 loss from earlier this season. George Fox has had an up and down year, with a win over Occidental but losses to Vassar (6-3), Chapman (5-4), and RPI (5-4), so they have left a lot on the table. They play Lewis & Clark on Saturday, in a match that GFU won 5-4 earlier this season.

Saturday

#9 Bowdoin def. #31 Brandeis 9-0:

After the huge win over Tufts, I expected Brandeis to compete a little better in this match, but they were dominated throughout the match. The closest match was a close straight-set loss for Jeff Cherkin (DEIS) at #5 singles, to Kyle Wolstencroft, who typically does not start in singles for the Polar Bears. I expected Brian Granoff (DEIS) to compete better with Luke Trinka, who he beat last year, but Trinka took him down 3 and 2. In singles, both Danny Lubarsky and Ryan Bunis were out for the Judges, and Brandeis already has enough depth concerns without missing their #3 and #4 singles players. Lubarsky was back against Babson, but Bunis has been out since Bates. I’ll have more on the Judges in the Babson recap, just keep on reading!

#7 Johns Hopkins def. Christopher Newport 5-4:

This was a very interesting match, to say the least. Hopkins started out by taking two of three doubles, so I figured they would roll after that, even without Michael Buxbaum in the lineup. However, CNU rolled at #2 and at #5, and won in three at #3, with Justin Cerny (CNU) defeating Noah Joachim. Ultimately, Hopkins managed to pull out the split, but both #1 and #4 were tight singles matches. Hats off to Steven Boslet (#2 singles and doubles), who had himself a day, with a 9-7 win at #2 doubles, and a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Ben Hwang. CNU takes on NC Wesleyan this Sunday, and although I don’t favor CNU, they can certainly take it if they play like they did in this one.

Tuesday

#20 Mary Washington def. Christopher Newport 8-1:

CNU came off the epic Hopkins match with a routine loss to Mary Wash. Doubles was definitely tight, but Mary Wash took them all by scores of 8-6, 8-6, and 9-7. In singles, Steven Boslet (CNU) lost 2 and 1 at #2, unable to repeat his upset of Hopkins. Justin Cerny (CNU) did get another great win, this time over David Lunding-Johansson in a super-breaker. CNU is pretty good in the middle of the lineup, with Justin Cerny at #3 and Arttu Fiva at #4, but they are suspect at the top and the bottom. It will definitely be interesting to see how they do against NC Wes, a team that is extremely strong at the top, and gets weaker towards the bottom, though they have played surprisingly well this year.

Wednesday

#31 Brandeis def. #40 Babson 9-0:

I expected this match to be extremely close, as Brandeis was coming off the big loss to Bowdoin, and Babo was coming off the historic win over MIT. It’s definitely possible that the indoor Brandeis courts played a factor, but Brandeis won some close matches and rolled in others, not losing a set in the process. Doubles was close at all three spots, but Brandeis took them all by scores of 9-7, 8-6, and 8-5, a great rebound from Bowdoin. In singles, just like the Tufts match, Brian Granoff (DEIS #1) and Michael Arguello (DEIS #2) both rolled to quick straight-set wins to give Deis the match. Danny Lubarsky (DEIS) gutted out two close sets for a nice win over Felix Wee, and Deis took #4-6 in straights. D3NE and I both liked the depth of Babo over Brandeis, so this was great to see for the Judges. One note, Isaac Thylen (#2 singles) was back out of the lineup for Babo, and he makes a huge difference for the depth of the Beavers. Deis was missing Ryan Bunis once again though, so it’s not like the Judges were full strength either. Ultimately, this was a solid rebound for Brandeis, and a missed opportunity for Babson. Brandeis takes on Trinity (CT) on Sunday in what should be a great match, while Babo has some NEWMAC showdowns versus Emerson and Coast Guard coming up this weekend and next week.

What to Watch for this Weekend (updated power rankings):

Not a whole lot going on in the beginning of the weekend, but Sunday features five gems, so let’s get these previews going!

Sunday

#28 Brandeis @ #25 Trinity (CT):

Let’s keep the focus on the Judges here for our first preview of the day. Trinity is coming off a marathon win over Tufts, where they were swept in doubles but took all but #3 singles for the win. Trinity is a veteran bunch, starting four seniors, a junior, and a sophomore in singles, with another senior just playing doubles, so this is a huge year for the Bantams to make a statement before they turn over their roster. Last year, Brandeis defeated the Bantams 5-4 in a terrific match, where Brandeis lost 2 out of 3 doubles but took 4 of 6 singles matches for the win. This year, I really like Trinity’s experience and depth, but I do like Brandeis at the top. So I’ll take Brandeis at #1-3, but Trinity at #4-6. It will come down to doubles, where both teams have been really streaky. I will take Trinity to rebound and take a couple just like last year, for the close win.

Prediction: 5-4 Trinity CT (wins at #2 and #3 doubles, #4-6 singles)

RPI @ Rochester:

This is a big match for both the regional and national rankings. Rochester is #13 in the northeast and RPI is #14, and Rochester is #40 nationally while RPI is unranked, but definitely close. TCNJ is #12 in the northeast and #39 nationally, and RPI defeated TCNJ while Rochester lost to them, so if RPI wins, I’d have to think they would move up a couple spots in the northeast and maybe sneak into the national rankings. Both teams have played pretty good doubles all year, and I think it will be 2-1 one way or the other. From a singles standpoint, I like Rochester at the top, as McKinley Grimes and Brandon Mazzara (RPI) have been up and down and while Ben Shapiro and Ian Baranowski are not the strongest #1-2, I think they are a bit more solid. #3-4 will be close, but I do like RPI at the bottom, especially at #5, where I love the way Sherman Uyeno has been playing all year. It’s a home match for Rochester, but I believe RPI will come in very motivated and will edge it out.

Prediction: 5-4 RPI (wins at #2 and #3 doubles, #3, #5-6 singles)

Christopher Newport @ #30 NC Wesleyan:

This is another big regional match. CNU is 3 spots behind NC Wes nationally (#34 vs. #37) and two spots behind them regionally (#8 vs. #10). I definitely favor NC Wes, but CNU can win this match if they do a couple of things. First of all, they need a couple of doubles matches, as CNU is a big underdog at #1 and #2 singles, and evenly matched at best in the other positions. Also, they will need to compete well in the middle of the singles lineup, the best chances in singles for the Captains to get some points. I think this is a close match, but NC Wes is a bit better throughout, taking 2 of 3 doubles, and 4 of 6 singles.

Prediction: 6-3 NC Wesleyan (wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #1-2, #4, #6 singles)

#23 Stevens @ #26 Skidmore:

This is a great matchup, and a match that Skid was favored in at the beginning of the season, but no longer. Stevens is two spots higher nationally (#24 vs. #26) and one spot higher regionally (#8 vs. #9). However, Skid can play, and nearly took out Williams last weekend in Williamstown, and Stevens is coming off four conference matches. I like the doubles Skidmore is playing, and Stevens has been struggling in doubles, so I think Skid will take two of three moving into singles. In singles, my match to watch has to be #5 singles, Jonah Epstein (Skid) vs. Danny Polk (Stevens). This is an unbelievable matchup. Epstein has wins over Middlebury, Cal Lu, RPI, NYU, and Vassar, and close losses to Williams (6-4 in the third) and Pomona (6-2 in the third). For the Ducks, Polk has been fantastic as well, winning against Case, Whitewater, Brandeis, Midd, Swarthmore, and RPI, all in straights! I do think this will go three, and I also think this will decide the overall match. I’m taking the Duck, 6-4 in the third!

Prediction: 5-4 Stevens (wins at #2 doubles, #1, #3, #5-6 singles)

#39 Pacific @ #15 Whitman:

Okay, I’m tired of the east coast, time for the NWC. The #1 and #2 teams in the NWC played back in February, and Whitman toughed out the victory, but it was a great match. Whitman swept the doubles, and then Colton Malesovas (Whit) did not play at #1 singles. Pacific won at #1-3 singles, but Whitman took #4-6 for the 6-3 win. This time around, I don’t think Whitman takes that risk, and Malesovas will play at #1. Malesovas has been money for Whitman, taking out Luke Trinka (Bowdoin) 0 and 3 very recently, and I don’t think Giancarlo Battaglia (PAC) will take him out at #1. Despite this, I do think the rest of the singles matches will be close, and Pacific will gut out a doubles match this time around. However, Whitman will be a little too deep, and will win a close one.

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

Wednesday

#23 Stevens vs. NYU:

Not too much action Monday and Tuesday, but a couple nice northeast battles Wednesday! Both NYU and Stevens have this match listed as an away match, so who knows where this match will be played. Regardless, Stevens is not dramatically better than the Violets, but they are better than them at just about every position. I do think NYU will win at #3 singles, where Ian Combemale (NYU) has been having a nice freshman year, and I see them taking one doubles match. However, I like Stevens at every other spot, unless CJ Leong (NYU) gets really hot at #2 and overpowers Michael Feldman, but I don’t see it.

Prediction: 7-2 Stevens (wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #1-2, #4-6 singles)

#28 Brandeis @ #41 MIT:

This is a match that, theoretically, Deis should win easily, because MIT lost to Babson, who Brandeis beat 9-0. However, with Brandeis’ inconsistent doubles play, and their depth struggles, I think this will be a close one. I’ll take Brandeis winning two doubles matches going into singles. The best singles match has to be at #2, with Michael Arguello (DEIS) playing Eugene Oh (MIT). Oh is coming off a three set over Michael Solimano (Amherst), while Arguello has been great all year, defeating Babson, Tufts, Bates, Stevens, Middlebury, and Cal Lu. Arguello just has more matches under his belt this year, and I’ll take him running away with it in the third set. I think MIT will win at #5 and #6, but Brandeis will take the rest for a close 6-3 win.

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