Spring Break – Walla Walla Recap

Could have gone with the traditional roster pic of Malesovas but this is way better
Could have gone with the traditional roster pic of Malesovas but this is way better

What’s up d3 tennis world. This past weekend, the tennis community migrated up to Walla Walla, WA, where #13 Whitman, #21 Redlands, #18 Texas-Tyler, and #23 UC Santa Cruz all met to play some dual matches! There were a number of questions that the critics had for these teams, such as how would Whitman respond to a very young lineup? And how would coaching impact the Slugs? I for one was also curious how Redlands would perform in some close singles matches. And how would Texas-Tyler perform after losing four seniors to graduation? Well with this past weekend, we got those answers and much more. Before D3 West and I get into the team grades and recaps, I wanted to give some individual accolades. So without further ado…

Top performer: Colton Malesovas (Whitman #1 singles, #3 doubles): Malesovas easily wins this award for top performer of the weekend. He went an impeccable 6-0 on the weekend, with a 3-0 performance at #1 singles. After taking out Daniel Budd (UT-Tyler) and Max Littlejohn (UCSC) in 4 straight sets, Malesovas took out Patrick Lipscomb (Redlands) in a gutsy three-setter, definitely the best match of the weekend. Malesovas established himself as one of the better players in the west region, and I am very excited to see how he will perform at the Stag Hen!

Best surprise: Chris Wootton/Frankie Fischer (UT-Tyler #1 doubles): Old Man Chris and transfer Frankie had a surprising but terrific weekend, going 3-0 at the #1 doubles spot. We’ll get into it more in the team recaps, but this should set up Wootton/Fischer for a great regional ranking. It will be interesting to see if they can play consistently at this level all year, with many tough matches coming up against Coe, Wash U, Whitewater, Chicago, and Trinity TX.

MVP: Gram Leahy/Ted Burchett (Redlands #2 doubles): Redlands played solid doubles all weekend, but Leahy/Burchett had an especially awesome weekend under the radar, going 3-0 with scores of 8-4, 8-4, and 8-5. Redlands notoriously gets a bit tight in the third sets of singles matches, so it is invaluable for them to get out to 2-1 or 3-0 leads after singles. If Leahy/Burchett can become a lock for them at the #2 slot, it’ll really help them out come SCIAC time.

Let’s get into the team recaps!

Whitman:

D3 West: A-

Obviously, this was a great weekend for Whitman, but I am going to start with the negative. I singled out their #1 doubles team as an X-Factor for them, and the youngins proceeded to go 0-3. Northam definitely needs to shore up his doubles lineup if they want a chance against the likes of Trinity/Pomona/Case. Rivers’ back injury is cause for concern, as he and Malesovas (the two seniors) were far and away the best doubles players for the Squirrels). Maybe adding Alves to the doubles lineup or mixing those two big servers at #1 with some of his good returners like Rivers and Jivkov will be the answer. Other than that, I was really impressed with Whitman’s newbies: Hewlin didn’t drop a set, Locklear came up big when Whitman needed him most, and Friedman showed why he was the top-seeded Whitman freshman last fall with quick feet and a steady head. Even more impressive was Malesovas, who went 6-0 overall and won the match of the weekend over Lipscomb. His 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 victory was exemplary of exactly the kind of close matches he’s been losing over the past two years, and if he can keep winning those close sets, Whitman is in really good shape. With or without Alves in singles, the Squirrels could be a *gasp* top 10 team for the first time since 2012 if they get their doubles going… Or, they might have just beaten three OK teams on their home courts. I’m very excited to see how they do in the Stag Hen in a couple weeks.

D3 Regional: A-

Whitman clearly won the Walla Walla weekend. What was most impressive to me was their singles! Whitman technically went 17-1 in singles against the three teams, but was up a set at 6 singles against Redlands when James Rivers retired. Even if Rivers is out, Whitman is incredibly deep in singles with guys like Gary Ho and Jake Hoeger ready to step in and grind out some wins. I was thinking #4 singles could be a potential weak spot for the Squirrels, but Petar Jivkov stepped in and dominated, not dropping a set all weekend against some players that I am really high on, like Frankie Fischer (UT-Tyler) and Tom Suchodolski (Redlands). Against some higher ranked schools, I fear that their doubles could get them into trouble, but going 5-4 in doubles against three ranked schools is not a cause for concern. I think Whitman will straighten things out on the doubles court, and will be ready for a battle against Trinity TX in just under a month!

Redlands:

D3 West: B-

I know I said the Whitman match would be important for Redlands, but that was a wee bit of an exaggeration. Sure they picked up a loss, but the only way that comes back to bite them is if Whitman ends up playing Case and losing. Since Whitman only has about a 50% chance of even playing Case in the first place, things aren’t so bad. Even if Whitman goes on to lose to Pomona, Bowdoin, or even Wesleyan, the Bulldogs can just make up for that with direct wins. Long story short, the Dawgs got a few ranked wins, and that’s nice. There are two things that worry me about Redlands. The first is the giant thing they’re calling a knee brace on Cummins’ right leg. Redlands needed him to be among the best #2’s in the country last year to stay competitive, but I doubt he’ll be able to win nearly as consistently this year. The second is the fact that they just lost another close match. These guys have been dogged by losses in close matches for the better part of the last decade (pun intended), and they lost the two three-setters that really could have swung the match against Whitman (Lipscomb lost 7-6 in the third to Malesovas and Wilson lost 6-4 in the third to Locklear). They could try hiring a witch doctor, but really they just need their depth guys to pick up the slack for them to start winning these close matches.

D3 Regional: B

This was a great weekend for the Dawgs to see where they are at with their senior-heavy lineup. One bright spot for me is their doubles play. Redlands had a great weekend on the doubles court, sweeping UCSC and taking 2 out of 3 against both Whitman and UT-Tyler, with my MVP’s Gram Leahy/Ted Burchett going undefeated on the weekend. Doubles is going to be critical for these Dawgs against the SCIAC foes like Pomona, CMS and Cal Lu, and they are off to a nice start. As for singles, I agree with West as Redlands went 1-3 on the weekend in full three set matches. Against Whitman, Redlands did not win a singles match, showing that their singles play is going to have to improve if they have NCAA aspirations. They are going to take on Wesleyan in just under a month, and Wesleyan is going to be playing some really good singles this year (Steven Chen versus Lipscomb should be a gem). That match will really show where Redlands is at going into their SCIAC schedule. If they can take 2 out of 3 doubles, and win 4 singles matches against the Cardinals, Redlands has a great shot at taking out Pomona and Cal Lu later in the season. Redlands has a lot of great things to take away from the weekend, and they should be happy with their performance, but I’m sure they know they could have done better against Whitman, given their 2-1 lead after doubles.

UT-Tyler:

D3 West: C

Coming into the season as an enigma, the Pats are pretty much a known substance at this point. They’re solid, but they’re not great. They play good fundamental doubles, and they have consistent guys at all 6 spots, but they’re not about to go out and beat a really good team. One thing I’m sure they are psyched about is the performance of their #1 doubles team. With those three West region wins and only one more really tough regional match on their schedule, Wootton and Fischer are in excellent position to make Nationals. Now, a lot of the #1 dubs teams in the ASC can be very tough, so they’ll have to avoid disaster there, but as long as they take care of business in their conference, they should make it. I feel good knowing that I live in a world where a 40 year old could potentially make it to NCAAs. If at some point in the next ten years, the NCAA changes their eligibility limits, I might find myself needing a masters at Tyler…

D3 Regional: C

As I alluded to in my preview, and West recaps so eloquently up above, the Patriots are pretty predictable. #20 is about the right spot for them in the rankings, and they’ll battle with anybody in that 15-25 range. They will pretty consistently beat any team lower than that, and simply are lacking the firepower to take down any team higher than 15. The Patriots played a great overall match agasint UCSC, sweeping dubs and taking 2 of the first 4 singles matches. However, given how much Ryan Elwood and Jack Puckey struggled in singles throughout the weekend (0-4 with zero sets won), I would not have been surprised if this match against UCSC ended up being 5-4 if it was allowed to finish. #3 and #4 are looking like the strengths of the Pats lineup, and it will come down to doubles against the top 20 teams. As West mentioned, Old Man Wootton and Fishy Frankie Fischer had a fantastic doubles weekend, but #2 and #3 doubles each lost both their matches against Redland and Whitman. For the rest of the season, I’m going to be pulling for Wootton/Fischer in every single match, and hopefully the rest of their doubles lineup can follow suit. Overall, UT-Tyler should be happy with their win over UCSC, but that was a match they should have, and did, win. They should be really hungry for the rest of their schedule, where they have more opportunities than ever before.

UCSC:

D3 West: D-

About the only good thing I can say about Santa Cruz this weekend is that they have a lot of good players. Flora and Chetan Munugala can really play. Hollister has gotten a lot better, and we already knew Littlejohn and Richter were good. If they cared to, they could really become a good team. Unfortunately, I fear they could go to shambles this year. I put “Coaching” as the X-Factor before the weekend partly as a cop out, but it turned out to be completely accurate. The guys missed their practice time on Friday morning and showed up to their matches 20 minutes before the start time. They threw their racquets, they cussed, and they just generally were an excellent example of how not to be successful as a tennis team. I’m gonna reach into my bag of overreactions and pull out something REALLY crazy. What if they lose to Whittier and Cal Lu? They would finish the season with one DIII win over Pacific. Is that enough to get them into Pool B? I have no idea. They have a lot of talent on their team, but I doubt they’re practicing with any sort of focus, something that used to be Santa Cruz’ signature. I’m trying to think of what would happen if Cruz didn’t make Pool B and P-P couldn’t get in Pool C, but I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it (one California team in the field!?!?!)

D3 Regional: D-

I don’t have too much to add to West, but I just wanted to reiterate that this was a very disappointing weekend for the Slugs. I think they are more talented than Texas-Tyler, but they simply did not want it enough. They obviously have some really talented players, and Chad Stone at #2 is a freshman who I think has potential to become a star. Still, it’s disappointing to see where this team has gone since Hansen left.

Thanks for reading once again. Look for our preview of Indoor Nationals coming out soon!

Please remember – we have an “interview with a coach” scheduled for March, to be posted on Tennis Recruiting, and are currently taking volunteers. If you are interested, please email me at d3regional@gmail.com. Thanks!!

3 thoughts on “Spring Break – Walla Walla Recap

  1. Richter

    I find your analysis of our match to be generally frustrating, although that seems appropriate as the weekend was generally frustrating. However, I feel that your commentary is, if not misinformed, slightly off base. I’m guessing you got to watch a lot of tennis either by being there or by watching the live stream so I’m not going to discount what you saw, but as someone who was there for literally every match I didn’t notice an epidemic of Code Violations amongst myself and my teammates. While there certainly was negative behavior from more than one of us, and I believe myself at times, that to me is more indicative of a competitive tennis match than anything else.

    However, if you wanted to call out negative attitude as a reason for our losses this weekend, and I’m not denying that it could have had a very real impact, I think to blame it on coaching is a poor excuse. I would much rather see you holding the players accountable for their actions, not arbitrarily deciding it to be a coaching issue. Truthfully if there is anyone to blame besides the individuals, I would look towards the older players, such as myself, as not doing a good job of promoting a healthy team culture. It is the responsibility of older players to lead younger players and create a healthy and positive team culture on the court in matches and practices, and if that is something we are lacking then the blame should be laid at my feet, at least as much as it is being laid at my coach’s feet.

    Finally, if we could dispense with the tired and meaningless cliche of players not wanting it badly enough that would be nice. During the Redlands match both myself and one of my teammates played through cramps and after matches there were ice baths in hotel rooms in an attempt to recover for the next ones, so I don’t think a lack of desire can really be cited as a major contributor to our performance.

    1. D3AtlanticSouth

      I realize I’m not the writer of the post, but I think I do have some comments regarding the team:

      While there may not have been an “epidemic of Code Violations,” a fairly objective spectator noted Cruz’s negative behavior as something that stood out to him. Again as you said, it probably isn’t the reason why you lost. But, it’s a good indicator of the mindset of a team as they go through the ups and downs of a match. A team that is more negative doesn’t necessarily lose because they are negative, but are expected to lose – whether that be because of preparation, skill, etc. Negativity is simply an add-on to that. All four teams were playing competitive tennis and not all four teams won every match. But, your team was the most negative and your team lost every match. It’s an easy 2 and 2 to put together, whether that be fair or not to your team.

      In regards to coaching, it’s another easy 2 and 2. You guys, by no fault of your own, have a brand new “head coach” as of right now. A good team will have a good connection between the coach and your older players, as you mentioned. With a new head coach and a relatively inexperienced one, again it is an easy connection to make that the lack of discipline (missed practice Friday, 20 min before matches other days) stems from having “coaching issues,” for lack of a better term. Players aren’t expected to rally the troops and get you to matches on time and schedule your practices. Coaches are. And that is why he blamed coaching, because preparation is a coach’s main job. Candidly, you guys seemed unprepared this weekend. That is not just the fault of a player or a coach, but a burden falls on coaching. Players play, Coaches coach and manage. It’s a team.

      Re: Desire – I don’t think he was blaming your losses on desire. I think he was stating that you guys are a talented squad, and by going above and beyond with a purpose, there is a potential to become a good team despite this weekend. I think this was just a misunderstanding. Also, “wanting it” does not necessarily mean in the moment. It could mean practice time, offseason training, etc. Some food for thought.

      Anyways, appreciate your comments and best of luck the rest of the season. It was a tough weekend and review, but we try and be observant and objective as possible. We’re not 100% right all the time, but this was D3West’s best guess and I don’t think he is that far off. It’s merely a perspective thing. Love the enthusiasm and the willingness to step up, hopefully it pays off rest of the season!

    2. D3West

      Mr. Richter. I always appreciate your readership and insight, but I truly believe coaching played a big role in your disappointing weekend. To quote Remember the Titans, “attitude reflects leadership, captain,” and, despite what I’m sure are some valiant efforts, the Cruz tennis team, through no or very little fault of your own, resembles a captain-less ship right now. The other three teams this weekend were being lead by coaches who have been doing this for decades. They know that teams perform better when they have an hour to warm up before the match; they perform better when they practice on the courts they are about to play on; and they perform better without negative attitudes. An experienced coach takes care of those things well before the match starts.

      I am equally irked every time someone says, “they simply wanted it more.” It’s a lazy explanation for a complicated phenomenon, but on some level, it’s true. The team that wants it more tends to be the team that works harder in the offseason, prepares better in the days before the match, and therefore performs better on the court. For the most part, the two players will be trying their hardest for the couple hours they are actively playing against each other, but they didn’t necessarily try as equally hard in the months leading up to those couple hours. You don’t win the match, you win the preparation.

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