This week in Central+Northeast Action

Indoors isn’t the only game in town in D3 tennis this weekend, with plenty of action coming out of the Central and Northeast regions, following up on a pretty full schedule last weekend as well. This article features pretty much all of my teams and breaks down what happened last weekend, what’s coming up, and what I’m thinking about them at this point in the season. It’s a long one, so settle in, get comfortable, and enjoy!

Kalamazoo
Last weekend:  Kalamazoo backed up their win over Kenyon with a 5-4 win over Coe and a 7-2 win against Wabash. The Coe match was tighter than I had anticipated, though I attribute a lot of that to me probably underrating the Kohawks. Daniel Henry’s third set tiebreaker win over Nate Ackert was particularly clutch, and is only the latest nice result for the freshman who is quietly putting together a great year so far, amassing a 10-1 singles record. Overall, this was a good hurdle for the Hornets to clear as they march forward, looking to keep the momentum forward.
What’s next: Kalamazoo was originally scheduled to face Gustavus Adolphus this weekend, but that match has unfortunately been postponed. It would be a fun one, so hopefully it gets rescheduled. After this weekend off, the Hornets host Denison in another match that should tell us a lot about both teams.

Coe
Last weekend: Coe has to be frustrated with the close loss to Kalamazoo, as it was a great opportunity to move up in the rankings and gain an indirect win over Kenyon. However, it obviously wasn’t to be. Still, the Kohawks can take a lot of positives from this match. Their singles depth seems to be stronger than it’s been in the past, and Anderson/Pudlo’s win at #1 doubles was also very solid. They lost 9-7 at #2, and if that match goes differently I very well could be breaking down a Coe victory. The main point is that Coe looks more like a team that can find points at any spot, and won’t need to rely on the top of their lineup to win every time. Certainly a tough result to swallow, but all is not lost for the Kohawks.
What’s next: Coe welcomes Carthage and Loras to Cedar Rapids this weekend. Carthage will be the closer match, but I don’t see it being any closer than 6-3 for Coe. After Anderson’s loss to Metzler last weekend, a win over Abban from Carthage would be very helpful in keeping him comfortably high in the singles rankings.

Wabash
Last weekend: The Little Giants were very busy, beating Carthage 5-4 and Hope 6-3 on Saturday before losing to Kzoo 7-2 on Sunday.  Against Carthage, Wabash found a way to win with superior depth, as they lost at #1 doubles and 1-3 singles but easily won every other spot. Carthage obviously has a couple very solid players up top so this box score was entirely surprising, though the 8-3 win at #1 doubles for Carthage over McAuley and Reifeis jumps out at me somewhat.  Similarly, while Wabash did take five of six singles matches against Hope, the fact that they were down 2-1 after doubles is not a great sign. Wabash often keeps matches against better teams close by stealing doubles points, but these results don’t leave me as confident in their ability to do that. Their Sunday loss to Kzoo went pretty much as I would’ve expected. Wins at #3 singles for McAuley and for Makio/Greenwell at 2 doubles are nice, but this match didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know about either team.
What’s next: Wheaton and Elmhurst this weekend. After 5-4 losses to UWW and Kenyon, you know Wheaton will be chomping at the bit to face Wabash and get a win over a team ranked above them. This is a dangerous match for the Little Giants, and a doubles lead is going to be essential. 1-3 singles should all be good matches, and whichever team wins at least two of those three spots should win.

Wheaton
Last weekend: 5-4 wins over OWU and Grinnell, but also a 5-4 loss to UWW. On the bright side, they los 8-1 to UWW last year, and the win over Grinnell (#14) should help the Thunder move up in the rankings from #17. Still, they certainly could’ve moved up further had they been able to get over the hump against the Warhawks. Ancona’s loss to Thompson at #1 in a super breaker has to very frustrating, both for the team and also for his chances at making NCAAs. Still, Wheaton’s early season results show an improving team, and I expect them to be relevant and pushing other Central region foes throughout the spring.
What’s next: Wabash this weekend will be another chance to prove they deserve to be higher in the Central rankings. I think these two teams line up to have a very tight match, so I don’t see it being anything other than 5-4 or 6-3. I’m leaning Wheaton 5-4, but that’s not with much conviction.

Carthage
Last weekend: 5-4 losses to Wabash and Hope. The loss to Wabash was not too surprising and is broken down above, but the defeat at the hands of Hope has to sting a little more, seeing that Hope is not ranked. Props to the Flying Dutchmen for the upset win, one that I did not see coming. For Carthage, the reality is that the spring has not been off to a great start, especially after taking two points from Chicago in the fall. This is a team that won the CCIW last year, beating Wheaton in the regular season and conference tournament, and I believe that if they played today, Wheaton would win. There’s still almost two months until they first meet, so plenty of time for things to change, but my honest assessment of Carthage so far this spring is that they have slightly underachieved.
What’s next: A chance to get on the right track against Cornell College and Coe. The Redmen should be okay against Cornell, but I don’t think they have enough to get by Coe. If they can somehow win at 1-3 singles and #1 doubles then maybe they find a fifth point somewhere, but a lot would have to go right for that to happen, and I don’t see it. Still, the Anderson-Abban match should be excellent and meaningful even if they match is decided. Here’s hoping it doesn’t get decided in a super tierbreaker.

Denison
Last weekend: A comprehensive beatdown at the hands of a David Liu-less Chicago. The only close-ish match was at #1, where Kevin Brown went 6&3 with Chua, nine more games than he won a year ago. Not much to say about this match. It went pretty much how everyone expected. We knew these two teams are in different classes, and nothing about the match said otherwise.
What’s next: The Big Red are off this weekend, and next play on March 4th against Hope before a big match at Kalamazoo the next day.

DePauw
Last weekend: An 8-1 loss to Chicago, and a 7-2 loss to a solid D1 Butler team. Before I get into the Chicago results, I have to say I was pretty surprised and impressed when I saw DePauw take two doubles matches from Butler, a team with a Power 6 of 75 compared to DePauw’s 67. D1 teams are generally weaker in doubles than their singles whereas it can often be the opposite in D3, but still, the way the Tigers competed against a team with UTR 12+ guys throughout the lineup is very commendable.  Against Chicago, DePauw came crashing back down to earth in doubles, losing 8-3 in all three spots. Not sure if this says more about DePauw, Chicago, or Butler, though. Regardless, that had to take some wind out of the Tigers’ sails. Singles-wise, DePauw put forth a better showing than Denison, with several close matches including Petar Barcot at #5, who took a set off Peter Leung before dropping a supertiebreaker. Barcot is one of the two D1 transfers for DePauw, and there had been speculation as to whether or not they’d be in the lineup. As of now, it looks like he’ll provide some more depth for the Tigers. Of course, I’d be remiss not to shoutout Dan Rodefeld for his win over Chua. I perhaps didn’t give Rodefeld enough credit in my season preview, but he’s been out to a great start this spring, and I hope he’s able to keep it up and find himself in Chattanooga come NCAA time.
What’s next: Centre and Wooster this weekend. Two regional matches, two wins for DePauw.

Rochester
Last weekend: An 8-1 win over Ithaca and a 6-3 loss to D1 Colgate. Like DePauw, Rochester took two of three doubles against a D1 opponent, a nice result but not earth shattering. UR got their third point with a win at #3 for Sam Leeman, who had an impressive 3&3 win. Against Ithaca, the Jackets proved me wrong in my prediction of a 5-4 win, cruising against Ithaca. After the Bombers’ 5-4 win last year, I saw another close one in store, but as I was reminded of on twitter, Ithaca’s home courts can be tough to play on, which may have helped them score the win last season. Regardless, a very nice result for Rochester to at least tread water in the rankings and get some momentum.
What’s next: A weekend trip to Vassar and RPI. Rochester is the better team against Vassar, winning 8-1 last year, but don’t discount the home court advantage for the Brewers. Their home courts are lightning fast and can be tough to adjust to, which makes me think this one might be closer than last season. Litsky is a very solid #1 (pushed Leung of Skidmore last weekend), but I think Rochester has the edge in terms of doubles and depth, and wins this one 7-2. RPI on Sunday will be a good test for Rochester against a team ranked above them. You know the Jackets will be pumped to try and prove themselves against the much hyped Engineers. While RPI has the talent advantage, Rochester comes into this match with five duals under their belt and should be a bit more battle tested than RPI, making their spring debut.

Ithaca
Last weekend: The 8-1 loss to Rochester tells me that Ithaca is probably going to struggle just to be in the top 20 of the Northeast this spring. The biggest bright spot in Minos Stavrakas, who had a very nice win over Masaru Fujimaki on Sunday. Unfortunately, the Greek freshman won’t be able to do it alone, and I question whether Ithaca has the depth to win five points consistently. It’s a shame because Stevens is looking down this year, but Ithaca doesn’t look ready to challenge the Ducks in the Empire 8.
What’s next: St. Lawrence this weekend at home. While neither team is really that strong, I think this one could be close. I’m grasping at straws, but I like Ithaca to bounce back with a 6-3 win on their home courts.

RPI
Last weekend: Nothing!
What’s next: Season debut against Rochester on Sunday. I’m excited to finally see RPI back in action and hopefully get a sense of how good they can be this year. Rochester is a good first test for the Engineers—they’ll be pushed and need to play well, but should come away with the victory. Like I said before, the fact the Rochester has much more match experience this spring should help them, especially given how young RPI is. Regardless, I think the Engineers take this one 7-2 or 6-3.

NYU
Last weekend: Nothing!
What’s next: Haverford. Much like the Rochester vs RPI matchup, one team is much more battle tested than the other. Whether that ends up making a difference remains to be seen, but in this sense I give Haverford the advantage. I admittedly am no expert on Black Squirrels, and NYU is always hard to predict, especially when they haven’t played yet this spring, so I really have very little idea how this one is going to go. This article has been long enough, so instead of guessing, I’ll just say let’s wait and see what happens! For what it’s worth though, RegAS is picking Haverford.

Whew, 2000+ words! Have a great weekend everybody and enjoy the matches. I’ll chime in on twitter as results come in. Feel free to give me your thoughts there or via email at d3regionalnec@gmail.com.

2 thoughts on “This week in Central+Northeast Action

  1. Anonymous

    Wabash beat Hope 7-2, and were up 2-1 after doubles.

    1. D3RegionalNEC

      Thanks for the catch. The box score on Hope’s website had a mistake, which threw me off.

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