A couple weeks ago, it looked as though this year’s SCIAC tournament would be pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. CMS was going to dominate. P-P didn’t have anything to worry about, and Redlands and Cal Lu had both eliminated themselves from Pool C contention. CMS is still going to dominate, and P-P will still be heavily favored over the rest of the SCIAC pack, but with Bowdoin and Williams slipping up, there might be a sliver of hope for both Cal Lu and Redlands. Additionally, Whittier will be looking to build off a strong Ojai with its first trip to the conference semis in forever. Let’s get to the matches. Quick note, unless things have changed, I believe they play to decision in the quarters and completion in the semis and finals Also to note, the Headmaster ASouth will have a Pool C Update for you all sometime tonight. He will again let you know how important this tournament is for CLU and Redlands despite the odds being against their favor.
Quarterfinals
(1) CMS vs. (8) Caltech
Caltech has made strides this year. They beat Occidental in a “non-conference match,” remained competitive in other matches they previously would have been at risk of getting pentadecatuple bageled in, and earning themselves a regional ranking, but they’ll be fighting for games in this one. CMS 5-0
(2) Pomona-Pitzer vs. (7) Occidental
The only thing that could make this match remotely interesting is a Dancu sighting. Since emphatically losing his shot at a top 8 singles position, Dancu didn’t play in the Ojai (along with the rest of his teammates). If he’s in, he could pose a little trouble for either Yasgoor or Weichert, as they attempt to play their way into nationals. Nevertheless, P-P 5-0
(3) Cal Lutheran vs. (6) Chapman
In these two teams’ recent meeting, the Chapman #1 doubles team of Akin and Buford put a significant dent in Treacy/Nichols’ nationals hopes with an 8-4 drubbing. Akin/Buford have quietly put together a very solid doubles season, and the Kingsmen duo absolutely needs to avenge that loss if they want any hope of making nationals. Meanwhile, Thompson has had a very solid season for Chapman, but if Cardenas does start to have trouble, the match will be decided. Cal Lu 5-0.
(4) Redlands vs. (5) Whittier
Whittier had a pretty abysmal April, but they closed things out very well in the Ojai. Konstantinov advanced to the semis before falling in three close sets to Marino, Schommer won a nice match over Jones and even had a double break lead on Wood before going down, Chavez nearly took Littlejohn down, and Kenny took a set off Lipscomb. Hopefully they can parlay that into a good showing against Redlands.
Redlands did not have as strong a showing at the Ojai, but they did beat the Poets 8-1 last time around. I don’t expect the Dawgs to get another doubles sweep. In fact, given their propensity to flop in the SCIAC, they may very well go down 1-2. Ultimately, however, I believe their depth will lead them to a tight 5-3 victory, especially if we see Cummins return to the starting lineup. Look for wins from Whittier #1 dubs, #3 dubs, and #1 singles.
Semifinals
(1) CMS vs. (4)Redlands/(5)Whittier
Whittier may well win the quarterfinal match against Redlands, but whatever the result, it won’t matter in the semifinal. CMS will easily sweep through 2-6 singles against either opponent. Konstantinov or Lipscomb could certainly play an entertaining singles match with Wood. Lipscomb and Wood have gone three sets twice (and appeared headed to 3 before the match was called at NCAA regionals last year), so that’s probably the best chance Redlands has to get a point. Konstantinov/Schommer just beat Wood/Dorn, but I don’t expect the Stags to let that happen again if they play. Either way, I’m going 9-0 Stags.
(2) Pomona-Pitzer vs. (3) Cal Lutheran
This is one of the two big potential matches in the tournament. Like I said before their previous meeting, the Kingsmen need absolutely everything to go right in order to beat the Sagehens. They let chances slip away at both #1 and #2 doubles last time. They’ll need both to win in the semis, because it doesn’t seem like they’re about to win at #3. In singles, Cardenas seems to be the favorite at #1 with #2 and #3 being coinflips. P-P is favored at the bottom three singles positions, but the Kingsmen could steal one, especially if a P-P freshman gets tight in a close match (it hasn’t happened yet). In the end, I expect this encounter to be closer than the previous one, with the Kingsmen winning at least one doubles point. I think the Hens will be too strong at the bottom of the singles lineup, but because it’s this season, I’m going to pick the Hens to gut out another 5-4 win with victories at #1 and #3 doubles, #2, #4 and #6 singles.
As I mentioned in my previous post. This match has huge implications for West region singles and doubles selections. Weichert/Yasgoor need a signature win to get themselves into the tournament, and Cardenas would be perfect. Treacy/Nichols need another big win to propel them into the top 8. Avenging their devastating comeback tiebreaker loss to Weichert/Bello would be a good way to do that.
Final Day
I’m not going to get ahead of myself and predict matches that might not happen, so I’ll wait until Friday to pick the matches for Saturday. Either way, CMS should win in a cakewalk, but the 3rd place match should be juicy. Looking forward to another weekend of great West region tennis and Ballou tweets!