Bowdoin is about to get some mad love from the blog. Their match with Skidmore has already been previewed, they will get a collaborative preview for their matches with CMU and Wash-U, and they get their own miniature Spring Break Preview RIGHT NOW! (Why does Neil Everett always sound constipated? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO2RD5wW5kY)
Bowdoin vs. Skidmore 3/9 3pm
Bowdoin vs. CMU 3/10 4pm
Bowdoin vs. Wash-U 3/11 1:30pm
The Bowdoin Polar Bears have to be one of the more intriguing story lines of the 2014 season. Unless you’ve literally been living in a cave, you know that Bowdoin had a hazing incident last spring and incurred a forfeiture of 5 matches and (more importantly) a post-season ban. They only graduated one contributor, and they seem to have found more than a suitable replacement in Luke Trinka. This trip out west will be our first chance to see how the Bowdoin lineup shakes out. They are capable of winning against any team at any position, but they do have strengths and weaknesses. Because D3AS, D3Central, and I will collaborate and creat joint previews for their matches against CMU and Wash-U, I will not be previewing any matchups here, instead I will outline some key things to know and look for during Bowdoin’s upcoming week.
KEY FACTOR #1: Bowdoin’s 1st match of the week is vs. Skidmore.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Essentially Bowdoin gets a warm up match. Obviously Skidmore is talented, but unless they get a fully healthy Loutsenko and the heavens align there is very little hope of an upset. While there are no freshmen jitters to overcome for the Polar Bears, remember that ½ of their projected starting lineup was abroad/absent for the entire fall. This scheduling allows those returners to get a match under their belt before they go against tougher competition.
KEY FACTOR #2: Bowdoin’s 2nd match of the week is vs. CMU
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: As D3AS pointed out during his CMU spring break preview, CMU has yet to beat Bowdoin on their spring break, going 0 for their last 3 dating back to 2008. Both teams are hovering around the top 10 and both teams certainly have the talent to make a tournament run later in the season. Playing CMU 2nd means that Bowdoin will be warmed up but not beaten down. This is Bowdoin’s most important match pre-Stag-Hen, as it will likely have direct Pool C implications.
KEY FACTOR #3: Bowdoin’s 3rd match of the week is vs. Wash-U
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Are you sensing a trend here? Bowdoin will have to play its 3rd match in 3 days against the ITA’s newly crowned #1 team in the country (only #3 in our rankings…so basically they suck). They will undoubtedly be tired, but they also know that there is not much to lose in this match. Wash-U is looking like a good bet to win their conference, meaning there won’t be a head-to-head implication for a Pool C bid. The Bears are also flying high right now, and their newly inflated ranking means that Bowdoin has much more to gain than it stands to lose.
KEY FACTOR #4: Bowdoin’s doubles teams have experience
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: This one is pretty obvious. Last season, Bowdoin’s 3 teams were Caplan/Wolstencraft, Bragg/King, and Trinka/Savage, and all 6 are returning. Even if they haven’t played any dual matches yet this year, there is history and chemistry here. We all know that Bowdoin has some strong singles spots, if they can take a lead after doubles, they become very difficult to beat.
KEY FACTOR #5: Luke Trinka
WHY HE’S IMPORTANT: Since Sullivan graduated, Bowdoin has not had a surefire #1. Pena was a better doubles player, and while Bragg was adequate he by no means was a sure thing. If Trinka is playing as well as he did in the fall, we’re gonna have some great matches this week. In his 1st three matches alone, Trinka will go up against Loutsenko, Alla, and Lil’ Putt Putt. If he goes 2/3, his week should be considered a success and his confidence should be high going into the Stag Hen.
KEY FACTOR #6: Chris Lord
WHY HE’S IMPORTANT: Chris’s return to the team helps them exponentially. While Doug Caplan is a talented player, his game is much better suited to doubles. Lord’s return to the lineup pushes some people down a spot, and means that their starting 6 (minus Trinka) all were apart of the singles lineup last spring. He also has the potential to bring some much needed senior leadership to this team. Which brings us to factor 7…
KEY FACTOR #7: Who is leading this team?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: Bowdoin’s website still does not list a captain of the team. I’m taking this to mean that no one has been appointed, and my guess is that this has something to do with everything that went down last spring. While King and Lord can both be psychopaths on the court, it’s only part of their game. I hope these two have stepped up off the court. Bowdoin does have two other seniors, Davis and Chien, but I don’t know what role they play in the team’s dynamics. They’ll need to be on-court leaders as well. I don’t want to minimize this factor, as I believe it to be one of the few issues that could potentially derail this team later in the season.
KEY FACTOR #8: Bowdoin’s depth
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: This is my final factor, and it could also be the most important. Last season, Bowdoin’s #5/6 went a combined 26-4. Let’s pause for a moment to let that sink in. 26 AND FREAKIN 4! This fall, Savage took Trinity’s #1 (Carpenter) to 3 sets at the ITA. I’d say that’s a pretty solid #6. I don’t know that Wolstencraft and Savage will be playing 5&6 again, but whoever is down there should give Bowdoin at least a slight advantage against any team other than CMS. Having an advantage at both 3 doubles and 5/6 singles is huge because it takes a lot of the pressure off their top players.
My initial predictions for each of Bowdoin’s 1st 3 matches are…
Bowdoin 7 Skimore 2
Bowdoin 6 CMU 3
Bowdoin 4 Wash-U 5
However I reserve the right to change these after seeing the Polar Bears’ lineup.
Good luck to Bowdoin as they start their 2014 quest!