Spring Break Preview: Gustavus

GAC's dynamic duo
GAC must rely heavily on Mya (left) and Amrik (right) this week.

As promised here is my Spring break preview of the Gusties. Between them, Case, and Kenyon, they are the only Central teams that have been able to make any noise on the larger stage thus far. I will get to my thoughts on every Central team in my upcoming “State of the Central” article, but for now let’s take a look at the few interesting matches GAC will have this week.

April 2nd at #1 CMS-
Well it’s a tough start for the Golden Gusties as they face the most dominant team in the nation by far at the moment. Although CMS had a scare from Williams, I don’t see GAC having much of a shot here. All be it their first outdoor match in a while and they will be at CMS’ home courts. CMS has made much better teams look silly already this year and this will likely be the same.

For entertainment’s sake, let’s look at a few good matchups that GAC could steal a point or two. As everyone should know, doubles is the Gusties best shot against the strongest teams. 1 doubles will be a great match. I’m interested to see what happens here, Wood and Dorn have been unstoppable so far and Donkena and Smith-Dennis are the defending runner-ups at NCAA’s and have also looked damn good. 2 doubles for Gustavus has been huge and if they play lights out they can take out anyone. Leisner and Johnson will need their best effort to take out Kotrappa and Pereverzin. Maybe they have a shot at 3 doubles, but I don’t think so. In singles CMS should be too good and I can’t really imagine anyone upsetting the best singles lineup in the country, especially on CMS’ courts. 8-1 CMS is my guess, and the insane resume continues.

April 3rd @ #12 Redlands-
This match should be a dandy. You never know what to expect out of Redlands. They are super talented and a dangerous team when they can put things together. However, they have really dropped the ball in a few big matches and if they don’t take this match seriously GAC could pull off the upset. Doubles will be absolutely key. Both teams are extremely well-equipped and if one team gets hot either one could be up 3-0 into singles.

After talking hearing so much about stacking doubles and giving away #1 it’s nice to see these two teams (as well as CMS) putting out their best combos. As with the last match Lipscomb and Leahy have looked nearly unstoppable with their only 2 losses coming to Cal BalLU and Williams. Outdoors on their home courts I see Redlands taking 1 doubles but that is a big swing spot in my eyes. Two doubles looks to be a bit of a weakness for Redlands and I see this as GAC’s toughest spot currently. GAC takes 2. With a new team at 3 and not much to go off of for Redlands I’m going with the proven combo of Entwistle and MacGibbon to give GAC 2-1 lead into singles.

At 1 singles Lipscomb has been playing great and Smith-Dennis has not. Lipscomb should win easily here. You might be able to call Donkena at 2 a stack but honestly him and Smith-Dennis are exactly the same. Both are mediocre 1’s and great 2’s. Unfortunately, it looks like Cummins has been playing some great ball and I see him squeaking this out. I think 3 goes to Redlands as well. Chu has been real hit-or-miss so far. I think 5 and 6 goes the Gustie’s way and it comes down to 4 singles for me. Ultimately, I think Redlands brings it on their home courts and comes away with the win 5-4ish. This is sure to be a great match and I would not be surprised to see Gustavus win this, but I can’t pick it because I think everything has to go pitch perfect in order for that to happen.

April 5th @ #22 Pomona-Pitzer-
Probably a great move by Valentini to schedule these matches the way he did. By this match GAC should be clicking outdoors and will have no excuse. Pomona has been the most unpredictable team this year and we all know they have the talent to beat almost anyone, especially on their home courts. Pomona was a point away from losing to Whitewater last week and they have to feel lucky to have won 3, 3 setters to win the match. Gustavus beat Whitewater 6-3 and a bit more comfortably so the intuitive person would suspect a win for the Gusties here. Just for meanness let’s break it down.

Pomona’s strength: Doubles. Gustavus’ strength: Doubles. Unfortunately for Pomona I think GAC is just a bit tougher at each spot. However, I’d be surprised to see Pomona go down 0-3 so I’m going GAC 2-1 after dubs. Weichert has been struggling at 1 and it looks like Sabel taking his place. Maybe GAC should do the same? Probably wouldn’t be too smart if they’re trying to qualify both Donkena and Smith-Dennis, but according to results it seems like the right move. I see those spots as a split. 3 singles I’m picking Pomona, but that’s where I see the edge swing to Gustavus. The depth of the Gusties should pull them through to a 6-3 win. This would be a nice win for them and would solidify their ranking a bit more as they continue to help hold the torch for the Central.

If GAC can do what I have described I think it will be a successful trip for them. Their hope is they can put together a good enough resume to host and get the 1 or 2 seed at NCAA’s. From there, they will be dangerous and may finally return to the final 8.

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