If Emory and Kenyon had a week off and then played the National Championship, Emory wins comfortably. I think everyone knows that too including the Lords. Emory has crushed Kenyon twice this season, once in the Indoors semifinal and the other time in the Stag-Hen semifinal. Neither match was even remotely close. But the Championship isn’t being played in a week, it’s being played tomorrow. Emory is drained after 2 grueling matches and Kenyon is relatively fresh after 2 comfortable wins. The big story of tomorrow is how effective will Pottish and Goodwin be? They both lost in the same match for the first time in 2 years, and frankly both seem to not have much legs left after the past 2 days. Chris Goodwin has looked like an incredibly ordinary player in Emory’s last 3 matches, dropping 3 singles matches in a row and only winning 1 set. Everyone should note he’s only lost 5 D3 matches in his 4-year career and they’ve all been in NCAAs. Dillon Pottish was up up a set and 5-3 today with Emory leading 4-1 in the overall match. If he closes that right there, Goodwin, Wagner and Halpern all don’t have to play 3rd sets and they are off the court an hour earlier. But Pottish didn’t close it out and his team spent an extra hour on the court. While they got the win, that extra hour of tennis has turned tomorrow into a potentially competitive match, and if Emory ends up losing tomorrow, that hour will be the reason why. I don’t mean to call out Pottish because he’s a great competitor and one of the best players in D3 history, but him not finishing that match has given Kenyon life that they really shouldn’t have. The longer the match goes tomorrow and the closer it gets, the more likely Kenyon is to win. The best way to preview tomorrow’s match is to say that Emory’s huge advantage at the top of the lineup has been neutralized, and what would normally be automatic wins in this match for the Eagles are now spots that could go either way. Although Burgin and Razumovsky didn’t win today in singles, they are both great players who can absolutely win tomorrow. How fresh is Emory going to be, and I’d be shocked if John Browning hasn’t at least thought about pulling some of his players in singles. Pottish and Goodwin both looked dead at the end of their matches, Wagner played 2.5 hours today and is gassed, and Halpern has played 2 3-setters in a row. You’ve got your 4 and 5 from last year’s 2nd place team on your bench with fresh legs. Despite the fact that they haven’t played much this year in singles, you have to at least consider putting them in tomorrow. Today could have been a routine match and tomorrow could have been a routine match, but it wasn’t and it won’t be, and the level of Emory’s fitness will determine the outcome tomorrow. Lack of conditioning did in the Eagles in 2010, and that problem was supposed to be fixed. I know it’s hot in North Carolina but with the way this Final 8 has played out, if the Eagles lose tomorrow it’s really going to sting, especially given who their seniors are.
But enough about Emory, let’s talk about the other team playing tomorrow. While they aren’t dealing with quite the uphill battle that Emory is, Kenyon has their own demons to conquer tomorrow. During the past 5 seasons, Kenyon is 0-7 against Emory and even heading into this Final 8, most didn’t view them as an “elite program.” They were always sort of an afterthought when talking about the top teams, but the draw broke their way and they have played great tennis to earn their spot in the final. But what we do know is that the Lords will need an incredible effort to topple Emory tomorrow. Since 2008, let’s look at Emory’s losses in D3.
2008: Gustavus, Wash U (2)
2009: Wash U, UC Santa Cruz
2010: Wash U, Amherst
2011: Amherst
2012: None
The point of that is that Emory does not typically lose to non-elite teams. I don’t mean to disrespect Kenyon with that statement, I’m just saying the Lords are typically not a team that is mentioned along with the annual D3 powerhouses. After this tournament that will change, and if they win tomorrow it will definitely change, but when you’re up against a team that has completely owned you, it’s tough to get over that. But Kenyon is playing the best tennis they’ve ever played right now. This year’s team on paper may not be better than the Greenberg era Kenyon teams, but they are certainly more of a team and they know how to win top to bottom. I think Kenyon is probably in trouble at 6 tomorrow, but other than that there’s no spot they can’t win in this match. Their 1 doubles team has played back-to-back outstanding matches, they have the best 2 doubles team in the country, and Burgin continues to play like a top 10 player in D3. CJ Williams, despite having a shaky season in singles, came up with a huge unexpected win today that swung the match in Kenyon’s favor and allowed them to be off the court in 2 hours and 45 minutes while Emory sweated it out for 4 hours. They are playing very well right now at every spot, and if they don’t let the nerves get to them and aren’t intimidated by the guys on the other side of the net, they can definitely win their first ever national title. These are unchartered waters for Kenyon whereas Emory is playing their 5th national final in the last 7 years. Granted they are 1-3 in those finals, but coaches draw from that experience and learn how to prepare their teams. The fitness factor has evened this matchup and whoever wants it more is going to win.
I still like Emory tomorrow. I think they typically find a way to win and they will have enough left in the tank to get the win tomorrow. I don’t want to say Kenyon needs a lead after doubles because we don’t know what kind of shape Emory is in, but the Lords could use that lead a lot more than Emory because the Eagles are just the more talented team. I like Kenyon’s chances a lot at 2 doubles, but speaking of 2 doubles, that’s the spot that won Emory today’s match. Williams had a 5-2 lead at 2 doubles and Emory came back to win 8-6. If the Ephs get that it could be a very different match. Either way, Williams/Razumovsky are playing incredible and I like their chances. Kenyon has won both days at 3, but Emory probably has the best 3 doubles team in the country and I really like their chances there. Kowalski seems to never lose and Pottish is just so talented he rarely loses at 3. 1 is a coin flip. As the commentator mentioned several times today, Chris Goodwin looked very flat in doubles. On the flip side, Kenyon’s 1 team has been playing very well the past couple days. However, I like Emory here in a tight one to give them the edge heading into singles. The singles lines are very hard to predict because of unknown fitness intangibles, but I really like Kowalski at 4 and Ruderman at 6 for the Eagles. The key will be finding that 3rd point in singles, and although it sounds weird to say this about Emory, I think Pottish or Goodwin will somehow find a way to win their well deserved national title. I may be very off with this, but I’ll take Emory 5-2 tomorrow to give them their first national title since 2006. All that said, I really want Kenyon to win. Not so Pottish and Goodwin are deprived of a title and not because I dislike Emory, because they’ve definitely grown on me through the years, but because I want someone unexpected to win this thing. Before the tournament, I talked about teams I thought could win the national title. I listed 6 teams and Kenyon was not one of them. I thought they had absolutely no chance to win this thing heading into the Final 8, but if they somehow do win, while it would be well earned, they should send a thank you card to Wash U for taking out Amherst and to Trey Meyer for keeping Emory on the court an extra hour. I want someone new to be the kings in D3 and there’s no one better than Kenyon to take that title. Again, I desperately want Kenyon to win tomorrow because I love upsets, I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
Thank you to the blogger. Nice to follow the tennis. Emory is just a great program. We had two match points to go up 3-0 after doubles and they found a way to win that match. We had our chances and like all the other teams this year, lost to them. They win. If people want a new dominate program, get better. Don’t knock a team for having guys who win and let you know that they are good. Hate losing to them. But I hate losing to anybody. Congrats on a perfect season.
Excellent season and thanks for the comment. I notice you return your whole team so I’m sure you’ll be back next year.
Thanks,Coach, on being such a gracious and candid loser…mental toughness is HIGHLY underrated not just in tennis but in life as well…Congrats to Emory and the other seven teams for a job well done.
Ah, found it! Here’s the link for anyone who’s interested
http://www.goavengingangels.com/information/NCAAChampionships/2012Tennis
To me, the best matches set for the Round of 32 are (predictions in parentheses):
-Ballou v. Goodwin (Ballou – Goodwin hasn’t won a match in Cary)
-Chafetz v. Putterman (Chafetz – Putterman had an excellent tournament, but Chafetz is more talented and probably fresher)
-Frey v. Kahan (Kahan – Kahan didn’t look his best in his loss to Putterman, but he’s a tough out for anyone)
-Burgin v. Meyer (Burgin – unless fatigue becomes an issue)
-Hersh v. Rattenhuber (Rattenhuber – Rattenhuber beat Hersh in the 2011 season and has looked solid this season. This could easily go Hersh’s way, and may be one of the tighter matches tomorrow)
-Sun v. Lane (Sun – very tough to call, but I give the edge to Sun. Not only did he beat Lane last season, he’s also been playing at a very high level all week in the team tournament. If this match goes to a third set, Lane will have the advantage due to possible fatigue from Sun)
Goodwin pulled out, Andrew Guzick from Vassar is the fill in player.
Thanks for the link, definitely some great singles matchups in there. Lane-Sun could be incredible as that was a ridiculous match at nationals last year. I think Ballou will win handily just based on what Goodwin has done this week but maybe he’l turn it on and relax now that he’s got the team national championship. I think pretty much all of the ones you said are gonna be some good ones but thats the best thing about the individual draw is that really anything could happen.
On a side note, does anyone know why/how the Tyler team and probably more surprisingly the Redlands team got in over CMS and Pomona’s 1 teams? CMS won Ojai while the Pomona team only lost to CMS I believe but had a win over Redlands. I’m confused.
was wondering this myself. seems very odd, i mean tyler’s one team hardly had any good wins…
Tyler’s coach is the head of the regional ranking committee… That said, I don’t know if he also decides who goes to nationals. Anyone know?
Yes, congrats to Emory! Moreover, congratulations are in order for Kenyon – hopefully this is just the beginning of that program’s history amongst the elite DIII teams.
On another note, can anyone provide a link to the singles/doubles draws?
The fact that people are still questioning Emory is ridiculous. Without their senior leadership they would not have won it. They mentored the Freshmen on this team, and they won it. Since winning 5-4 two consecutive matches isn’t showing poise, what exactly is? They had a perfect season, and everyone was against them. Emory was clutch at almost every position, when other teams were not and that is why they are the National Champions
Emory are the national champions. Let us all, as the D3 tennis community, show some respect and give them some props. Looking forward to next year there are certain issues of debate, but even if you hate emory, they won, and they are the 2012 champions. If you cant post this and be unbiased in giving Emory a proper congratulations then we have larger issues to discuss. Congrats Emory, on a hard fought team win!
I agree, it’s unfair and doesn’t make sense to not give them credit. They worked hard and earned it fair and square.
Congratulations to Emory! They are by far the absolute best TEAM overall. They worked hard in what they did. Not losing a single dual match. That’s impressive.
John McEnroe was one of the worst behaved people on the court, but is loved by many because he was a winner. Winners are who people like. On the court you might be one of the most hated people because of how competitive you are, or how you act. That team is full of nice guys who are just college students trying to bring home a title by being the best tennis players in D3.
If everyone cares so much about how everyone acts then why isn’t the sportsmanship award the largest award given out at the end of the year. Why doesn’t everyone compete just that? Is anyone going to EVER say, “I really want to win that sportsmanship award!”….NO. They want the championship.
Emory worked hard, and damn well deserve this. I would want winners on my team and that’s what Emory is full of. Winners.
CONGRATS EMORY!!!
Regarding that past tweet, you don’t sound too excited about them winning.
How has Emory shown poor leadership/attitude? They don’t deserve the title just because the seniors weren’t winning? It’s a TEAM championship. Your logic only takes away from the amazing contributions by its freshmen. The entire team hung tough after two very challenging rounds against Hopkins and Williams. Pottish fought hard to win a crucial doubles match and hanging on in singles, despite being carted away on an ambulance the day before. Goodwin only played singles in the second half of the season and has been nagged by injury all season long. He had an awful tournament, but that doesn’t take away from the entire team’s effort. They had to grit it out and had to earn that championship. Huge congratulations to Kenyon on their amazing run.
Sounds like sour grapes to me. Athletic championships are based on who wins the matches. It’s not a personality contest. It is unfair to group Pottish in this since I believe he won an ITA Sportsmanship Award. I certainly wouldn’t judge a person because he was cramping in a match. That can happen to anyone, even if they are physically prepared. Congratulations to both teams.
So you are saying that Humphreys and Goodwin were known for hooking during the tournament? Very interesting considering Goodwin is a very fair player, according to anyone and everyone, and Humphreys was seen congratulating opponents on good shots during the tournament. I am just trying to understand your reasoning. By the way, #4 singles didn’t get a warning for being overruled, I’m not sure about #6. Check your facts Mr. Anonymous, Kenyon or Williams fan by chance?
I think it is unfair to say that Pottish came into the tournament physically unprepared. It’s pretty well known that he is one of the hardest workers and best in shape players in D3. He was also up in a third set and won a big doubles match a day after being in the hopsital. As previously posted, check your facts sir.
D3tennisalumni* not Mr. Anonymous, my bad
Kowalski was not overruled once in the semis or finals. He was once against hop. That is just a stupid thing to say
Kowalski and pottish were overruled twice in doubles today. Pottish was technically up in the third but it was on serve
Both on serves and both of them apologized after
After the conclusion of this tournament, I hope that the uaa is again regarded as equal to the nescac
I think UAA and NESCAC are equal in strength, at least on the 9-point system. By watching the tournament over the last couple of days, it became very clear that UAA team play much better doubles than NESCAC teams. I think everybody already knew that NESCAC teams are very good and deep in singles. If D3 was played on the 7-point system like D1, I suspect we would have a different champion today.
im sure there will be another post about this, but how is the seeding done for the singles draw? how are goodwin and ballou playing each other in the first round? they should both be seeds. that could be a potential final.
Because Goodwin didn’t have that great a season. He enters this tournament as the 4 seed in his region if I’m not mistaken which means for the overall draw he gets thrown in a random place which just happened to be against Ballou.
yes he was the 4 seed in the AS. just to me not sure how that is the case, seeing as how he was reigning ncaa champion and his only loss during the season was to pottish in fall ita’s. how shulman and hersh jumped ahead of him I have no idea. especially since shulman lost in first round of ita’s in the fall.
Very true, I don’t see how Goodwin isn’t seeded in singles. Goodwin isn’t playing his best though. Certainly should not be a first round match at all. Interesting to see how it will play out.
There are also a few other first round matches that I see as crazy match ups.
where did you find the draws for the individual tournament? i can’t seem to find it!!!
DRAWS
Took pictures and tweeted them on my account if you want to take a look for the Men’s Singles and Doubles. Twitter Account: NickBallou
thanks and good luck against goodwin!!!
The individual tournament should not exist. College tennis is a team game. If you want individual accolades, play on your own. There are plenty of individual tennis tournaments all around the world every week.
The individual tournament is made for sports that have teams put together for individual events that add up to win or loss matches. Golf, Tennis, Swimming all individual sports that are have athletes come together to compete as a team. The individual event is absolutely amazing for all the individual sports that are also team events. If it was only team everyone would just bicker about who is the absolute best. Team is for who has the best 6 singles player and best 3 doubles teams to win an overall dual match.
If there was no individual event for tennis, it just wouldn’t make sense at all. In america its about being the best. In the world of sports its all about being the best. The individual tournament allows the players to show their hard work and skills off to show everyone else how good they are and a chance to be the absolute overall #1 player at that sport.
Historically, college-level tennis championships were ONLY for individuals and were dominated by Ivy League players throughout the early 1900’s. (Interestingly, though, the first non-Ivy League players to win the National Championship came from California and Kenyon!). Team competition, however, didn’t become a Championship event until 30 or 40 years later. Individual Championships are a part of college tennis lore and are not likely to go away anytime soon.
So can a player from a school without a tennis team enter this individual NCAA tournament? If not, why not?
I don’t care how long something wrong has gone on. The history of tennis is replete with errors. Individual singles and doubles championships, when the foundation of the college game is the team, are nuts.
I don’t expect it to change. I’m just saying I think it should change.
Kenyon blows 2 match points at 3rd dubs –would have given them 3-0. I have a feeling this will haunt them.
First of all, its tough for anyone to play 3 high level matches 3 days in a row so Kenyon will certainly not be fresh for this match as well, as anyone would agree. Their first 2 singles players struggled against WashU. I believe doubles is key for this match. If Emory could could go up 2-1, its over. If Kenyon goes up 2-1, its going to be a war. Cant wait to watch
Good write up D3Tennis…
I must say that when you talk about “wanting it more,” Pottish and Goodwin most likely top the charts there. Physically, they may be spent. But it’s just one more match that we’re talking about here. I believe that they can definitely will themselves to one more epic performance in spite of the circumstances.
As an alumni of the 2003-2006 Emory teams, I certainly hope and pray they will.
Fitness is important no doubt but mental toughness
will be the key tomorrow and Lords have this
in them and certainly can get it done tomorrow
crazy match between williams and emory. williams saved 2 match points at 1 singles and 5 match points at 5 singles then won both. match could have easily been 5-1, but credit to williams for digging deep. wonder how pottish will be tomorrow – saw that he was taken away by an ambulance