2014 Season Preview: UT-Tyler

UT-Tyler

Coach: Chris Bizot, 9th season

Location: Tyler, TX

2010 Ranking: 22

2011 Ranking: 28

2012 Ranking: NR

2013 Ranking: 15

2014 Projected Ranking: T30

Overview:

I was supposed to do the Cal Lu preview this week, but they don’t have their schedule up, so I’m going with the Pats!

The Patriots are a pretty unique team in the DIII landscape. They don’t have the academics, location, or campus that typically draws great recruits to DIII, but what they lack in the typical attractions, they make up for in great coaching and finances. Before last year, it seemed as though this was a team fading into the Texas sunset, but Coach Bizot found a brilliant recruiting niche, bringing in a cavalcade of transfers the last couple years. The trend started with Spencer and Singer in 2012 and continued with Ybarra, Brown, and Martinez in 2013. The problem with transfers is that you don’t get them for four years. Ybarra graduated, and Brown is nowhere to be seen, leaving Bizot scrambling for another crop of transfers to replenish his ranks. It’s a dangerous way to keep a program competitive, and it will lead to the wild fluctuations in a team’s overall skill that we’ve seen the last couple years, but it’s just about the only way to hang in there as UT-Tyler in a scene dominated by the Princeton Review rankings.

Lineup Analysis:

Key Losses: Ryan Ybarra, Dan Brown (?), Kevin Singer

Key Additions: Chris Wootton, (?)

One year, Bizot brings in a couple former DI starters from Texas A&M and Texas Tech, the next year, he brings in a 37 yearold transfer from Mississippi College. Even though I’m sure Wootton is a fantastic player, that’s not exactly an upgrade. Instead of having one of the strongest 1-2 punches in DIII tennis, Tyler’s top spot will be occupied by either Ryan Spencer – who struggled immensely at #1 his sophomore year – or Ramon Martinez – whose grinding mentality is ill-suited for the top rung. Both of those guys were fairly successful in the middle of the lineup, but Tyler seems to be taking a step back at the top two positions.

The rest of the lineup will most likely be filled out by Wootton, Timponi, Kiertstead, and Budd. I’m guessing Wootton will play a solid #3, while Timponi, Kierstead, and Budd, who took turns in the revolving door at #6 last season will take the last three spots. All three of those guys had solid appearances in the Southwest ITA, and have clearly been improving quickly. Tyler was one of the weakest teams in the country at the bottom of the lineup last year, but no matter what the order, I expect they will be a little stronger because of these three’s hard work.

I’m not even going to touch doubles, but I will touch on the possibility that the Patriots lineup we’re looking at now will not be the Patriots lineup at the start of the season. Remember that Martinez and Brown didn’t join the team until January last year, and Coach Bizot is always burning the midnight oil on the recruiting trail. That being said, if this is the team they end up with, they are definitely going south this season.

Schedule Analysis:

Scheduling has always been an issue for UT-Tyler, especially when it comes to satisfying that tricky “late-season strength of schedule” requirement, but Coach Bizot is wont to go the extra mile (or 500) for his team. Last year, his boys backed up their two breakthrough victories in Santa Cruz by driving down to So Cal to take down CMU in one of the more bizarre matches of the season. Bizot then managed to schedule Hopkins in the middle of the season, though that didn’t work out quite as well. This year’s schedule, however, is not quite as strong.

Perhaps Coach Bizot was merely trying to tailor his schedule to his teams’ strength, but they don’t have many chances to earn/keep their ranking. As usual, the Pats’ first big test comes on their Spring Break trip. This year, they will be playing Whittier, Stevens, Chapman, and Redlands on consecutive days. If they can come away with two of those matches, I would consider the trip a success. They start against a Whittier team with a similar make up to the Pats, but they are stronger at the top with Konstantinov, giving them the slight edge. Against Stevens, Tyler’s lack of #1 player will plague them again, as Heinrich should provide the Ducks two points. Needless to say, the Bulldogs will be the heavy favorites on their home courts with a big recruiting class coming in and few significant losses from last years’ team, which was ranked one spot ahead of last year’s Pats.

When they get back to Texas, they have an interesting matches against Earlham and UT-Dallas. You’d have to ask D3central what’s going on with Earlham this year, but I’m guessing Tyler will be able to pull that one off on their home courts before beating the depleted Comets on the road, which will be enough to give them the classic “T30” ranking at the end of the year.

The Pats finish their regular season with their big rivalry match against TU, but that’s not looking like it’s going to be much of a match this year. Even last year, the Tigers cruised to a relatively straightforward 6-3 win, and that was with Ybarra and Brown providing the three points.

Last, but certainly not least, there’s the ASC tournament. Last year, the Tyler provided the first “bubble bursting” in recent DIII tennis history by losing to UT-Dallas in the conference final without Ybarra. This year’s match is looking much less appealing, as both squads will be without their top two. In the end, I think Tyler’s depth will allow them to pull this one out to set up another Emory regional ousting to end the season.