This weekend, we get to witness one of the best rivalries in DIII. Williams and Amherst are always at the top of the NESCAC standings in any and all sports. Their rivalry goes much deeper than simply tennis. Legend tells the story of Zepheniah Swift Moore, a Williams professor who left in a huff in 1821. Legend has it that he took 1/5 the student body, some library books, and founded Amherst nearly 60 miles down the road. These two teams play each other in every sport in every season of every year. While Williams leads most head-to-head competitions, Amherst has been making up ground of late (at least in men’s sports). These aren’t two of the best, they ARE THE TWO BEST academic and athletic liberal arts schools in the country (sorry Midd, you’re not quite there yet). This Sunday, the two men’s tennis teams will renew their historic rivalry where it all began, Williamstown, MA. Let’s take a look at the last few matchups between these two rivals.
2012-2013 Regular Season: Amherst wins 5-4. The Jeffs clinched with a Kahan 3rd set win over Williams’ resident Magician, Felix Sun.
2012-2013 NESCACS: Williams got the better of their rivals in the revenge match. The Ephs won both 3-set contests on the day, as Micheli avenged Dear Felix’s loss to Kahan. Micheli and Chow both won their respective 3rd sets 6-1, to earn the Ephs their first NESCAC crown since 2003 (when the tournament was still played by flights). Of course, Williams went on to claim their 4th NCAA title and first title since 2002.
2011-2012 Regular Season: In their lone meeting of the year, Amherst eked out a 5-4 win. With the match tied 3-3, 4th, 5th, and 6th singles all went to 3 sets. Jung took down Chow at #5, Petrie kept Williams alive with a 7-5 3rd set win over Waterman, but Fritz clinched it for Amherst with a similar 7-5 3rd set win over Big Weiss. At this point in the season Amherst was far and away the best team in the country. Their loss to WashU in the elite 8 is still considered to be one of the biggest upsets in DIII tennis history.
2010-2011 Regular Season: Shocker, another 5-4 win for the Jeffs. This match was a classic. Williams took a 2-1 doubles lead (only the 2nd time all season that the Jeffs were down after doubles) and 4 separate singles matches went to 3 sets. Amherst needed 3 of them, and that’s exactly how many they got. What was so amazing about this match was the depth of all the 3rd setters. All 4 matches went until at least 6-4 in the 3rd. Fritz beat Meyer at #3 (6-4 in the 3rd), Weiss beat Waterman at #4 (6-4 in the 3rd) Kahan leveled the match at 4 by taking down Micheli (7-5 in the 3rd), and everything came down to #1 singles. At #1, Rattenhuber defeated Sun 7-6 in a 3rd set, and 8-6 in the tiebreaker.
2010-2011 Post Season: HOWEVER with Chafitz in the lineup, Amherst smoked the Ephs, 5-0 at NESCACS and 5-1 in the National Semifinals. The 5-4 defeat of Williams was the closest thing to a regional loss that Amherst had all year, but they rolled their way to a national championship, earning them a spot on the GOLFY list.
2009-2010 Post Season: Amherst again took down their rivals at NCAAs, but in 2009 they did it with a 5-2 win. The win advanced the Jeffs to the elite 8. They would end up making the National Championship before falling to the actual GOLFY, Middlebury. However, don’t be fooled by the 5-2 score. This match was much closer than that score would suggest, Amherst was up 2-1 after dubs, and then ALL 6 SINGLES WENT 3 SETS! Amherst won the 3rd sets at 1, 2, and 4 to clinch the match and the quarterfinal birth.
I’ll stop here, but not for lack of history. In 2008 there was a 5-4 regular season match, in 2007 Amherst beat Williams 5-4 in the NESCAC semis, etcetera etcetera etcetera. These two teams have played their regular season matchup to a 5-4 decision each of the past 3 years, and even though I believe Amherst is a better team and should be favored at most positions, I do not believe they will blow the Ephs out of the water. Let’s break down the matchups.
#1 doubles Fritz/Reindell vs Micheli/Schidlovksy
This Amherst team hasn’t lost to a DIII opponent this spring, and I don’t see them losing to a Williams team that just got blanked today. Micheli/Schidlovsky certainly have the firepower, but they don’t have a good win since California. I’m taking the Jeffs, but closer than you might expect. Amherst, 8-6.
#2 doubles Revzin/Solimano vs. Raventos/Shastri
The Rosè team has officially made the move up to #2. Greenberg is trying out a new team of Astrachan and Lil’ Weiss, but moved them down to #3 today. If #2 moves down to #3, #3 has to move up to #2 (on a side note, I got a follow from Yoda’s twitter handle today). Williams could throw Greenberg and Chow out there, and I don’t think it would matter too much. The Revzin/Solimano team has been great, and still has an outside shot at making nationals. A win over a team with a national ranking from the fall might not make the difference, but it certainly won’t hurt. Amherst, 8-5
#3 doubles Combo of Zykov/Yaraghi/Dale vs Combo Astrachan/Weiss/Harron
This is the biggest question mark of the doubles. The Williams teams have been floundering recently, while the Amherst combos have been pulling out wins like Central pulls out his gray hairs. I want to choose Williams to win, I want this to be a close match, unfortunately I can’t in good conscience pick the Ephs. Amherst completes the sweep, 8-4.
#1 singles Fritz vs Micheli
Micheli took a tough 3-set beating at the hands of the newly healthy Loutsenko, but has taken down Berg, Johnston, and Jacobson all in the past 2 weeks. He is very capable, and does have the firepower to take down Fritz. Joey’s only loss this spring came at the hands of Warren Wood, and while Micheli is not nearly as strong as Wood, he can hit his forehand just as well. I think this will be a close match, and if somehow the Ephs are close I’m going with upset and taking Micheli. After an Amherst doubles sweep, I like Fritz in a super.
#2 singles Dale vs Harron
This should be a wonderful matchup. Harron moved up to #2 today and took down a very capable Jimmy Sherpa in two routine sets. Both of these guys are good enough to do some serious damage against the best players in the country. Dale just took down Planche, which is easier said than done, but he won’t be able to frustrate Harron as easily as he does with most of his opponents. Harron has shown he can win in the clutch, having already clinched the Ephs a match earlier this year. I’m taking Dale in 3 sets, but this should be the match of the day.
#3 singles Solimano vs Lil Weiss
Something is up with Lil’ Weiss (though the same could be said for much of this Williams team). Weiss has lost to 5 of the last 6 big matches he’s played in, but I think that Solimano is a good matchup for him. He might be able to grind out the Jeff, but he’s going to have to have something to fight for. Like Micheli and Harron, this is yet another match where I think Williams can win if it’s close after doubles. Since I’m taking Amherst to sweep, I’ll take Solimano to win either two long sets, or a super breaker.
#4 singles Zykov vs Schidlovsky
While Alvin and Anton sounds like a matchup of chipmunks, this one could be relatively one sided. Anton has been playing excellent tennis this spring, with his only DIII loss coming from Marino. Schidlovsky, on the other hand, has been pushed left and right. Every one of his last 5 matches against ranked teams has gone to 3 sets, with the Eph netting a 2-3 record. Schidlovksy certainly has the firepower (does anyone sense a theme?) to do some damage, but I just see this as another 3 set loss (or a super, depending on whether or not Amherst has already clinched).
#5 singles Yaraghi vs Raventos
Finally, what I consider to be an easy match. Yaraghi at 5 is just one of the most sure wins in the country. Raventos has been playing good tennis, but I just don’t think he’ll be able to overpower the backboard that is Yaraghi. Amherst, 6-1, 6-3.
#6 singles Reindell vs Astrachan
This is yet another matchup where Amherst should be the heavy favorite. Reindell has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the year, both in singles and doubles. He’s coming off a double bagel of Moose, and to say Astrachan has been struggling is quite the understatement. I think the little lefty should have little trouble, Amherst 6-2, 6-1.
To recap, this match has the potential to be another Williams/Amherst classic, I just don’t think it will end up as such. As with any big match, doubles will obviously set the tone. If Williams can get a point or two, this match could very well end up 5-4. HOWEVER, Amherst has the edge at every single lineup spot, and that simply cannot be overlooked. Garner will certainly enjoy sticking it to his rivals, especially since the Ephs sit where the Jeffs want to be as “defending national champions”. If Amherst sweeps doubles, I think they sweep singles too, making a statement by blanking the Ephs. If Williams stays close and manages to take a point or two, this one could easily go 5-4 to Amherst. Both team’s genuine athleticism, intelligence, and extreme arrogance create an atmosphere that is impossible to predict. Tune in tomorrow at 1pm.