2015 Season Preview: #33 Colby Mules

Colby College

Coach: Doanh Wang

Location: Waterville, ME

Preseason ranking: #32 power ranking, #33 ITA ranking

Just a year ago, the Colby Mules were a team that I would not have put in the top 40 in the country by any means.  For years, they were losing badly to the nearby Maine teams of Bates and Bowdoin, and really only consistently beating Hamilton and Connecticut College in the NESCAC.  Last year, with some good senior leadership as well as a couple of phenomenal freshmen, Coach Wang’s squad put it all together for a huge March win over Bates.  They followed that up with another big win over Wisconsin-Whitewater.  The rest of the year was similar to years of the past, as the Mules fell to Brandeis, DePauw, Wesleyan, and Tufts among other matches.  Despite this, one thing was clear to me after last year, that Colby was a team that could certainly compete with top 30 teams, and could even possibly be one themselves.  Moving into this year, however, there are a ton of questions surrounding the Mules, including how they are going to replace the production of their six seniors, who each started in some capacity.  Carl Reid and Vlad Murad are a wonderful #1 and #2 punch, but it takes more than two guys to beat a NESCAC team.  With a stacked NESCAC schedule, Colby will have ample chances to crack the top 30, so let’s get into it!

Lineup Analysis:

Key Losses:  Jason Ottomano (#2 singles, #2/#3 doubles), Jack Bryant (#5 singles, #2 doubles), Matt Carroll (#6 singles, #2 doubles), Luke Martin (#3 doubles), Sam Bachelder (#4 singles), Max Pollinger (occasionally #6 singles)

Key Additions:  Jeremy Mendoza, Douglas Mo, Truman Samberg, Shaw Speer, Matt Martin, Mark HoSang (transfer from Uconn)

Singles:

With so many departures, predicting the lineup is a bit tricky.  After Reid and Murad, I could see anybody from #3-#8 getting their shot in the lineup, really in any order.  Here is my best guess, given what we have seen so far this season, as well as last season with the Mules.

#1: Carl Reid (sophomore):

Despite his goofy face in the Mules’ team picture, Reid was a sensational #1 last season.  His record was 15-3, and notable wins included Matt Micheli (Williams), Jay Glickman (Tufts), Timmy Berg (Bates), Noah Bragg (Bowdoin), Jake Humphreys (Whitewater), and Paxton Deuel (Trinity TX).  He has backed that up with a nice fall, making the round of 16 at ITA’s and the finals of the Wallach Invitational at Bates.

#2: Vlad Murad (sophomore): Murad was the surprise star last year for Colby, amassing a 12-5 record playing #2 and #3 singles.  He was injured early in the season, and then came back and played great.  A flashier but sometimes less steady player than Reid, his best wins came against Michael Liu (Wesleyan), Chris Ellis (Bates), Patrick Farrell (DePauw), and Byron Balkin (Whitewater).  He also had a huge upset over Conrad Harron of Williams in the first round of ITA’s this year, shocking the nation in the process.  The man from Romania can definitely play, and I think he will take another step forward this year.

#3: Cameron Hillier (sophomore): Hillier played a decent #6 last year for Colby, and by decent, I mean that he beat exactly who he should have and lost to everybody else.  Everybody else in this case means Zachary Brint (Wesleyan), Hugh Mo (Bowdoin), Brian Klein (Whitewater), Patrick Ordway (Bates), and Alec Siegel (Brandeis).  If Hillier is serious about moving up three spots in the lineup, the sophomore is going to have to get much more consistent.

#4: Mark HoSang (junior): Here is where things get really dicey for the Mules.  HoSang had not started a match in his first two years at Colby  HoSang is a transfer from Uconn, and this is still about where I see him playing in the lineup this year, after finding himself in the B flight at the Wallach, losing first round to Rutendo Matingo of Trin CT.  He also played in ITA’s, and fell quickly to Kenny G(ea) of MIT.  The man is a three star according to Tennis Recruiting, so he has the talent to put it together, but that is easier said than done.

#5: Jeremy Mendoza (freshman): At this point, I’m not even sure what to think.  I believe that Mendoza has played one match this fall, losing in a superbreaker to Courtney Mountfield of Midd.  That’s not a bad result, so perhaps the frosh has some firepower that I don’t know of.  I wish I had some more results to base this off of, and I might be grasping at straws here, but go Jeremy Mendoza!

#6: Douglas Mo, Shaw Speer, or Truman Samberg (all freshman):  There is not a ton to go off of here, as these three young chaps are all freshmen, but Speer had a nice Wallach Invite in the D flight, beating Kyle Scheffers (Trinity CT) and Kyle Schlanger (Midd).  His luck ended in the semis, as he finally drew somebody other than a Kyle, and lost badly to Will De Quant of Midd.  Truman Samberg also won his first round at the Wallach, over Carlos Ferryros of Trin CT, and Doug Mo, although he was all the way up in the C flight, lost quickly to Ben Rosen of Bates.  Who knows what these freshmen might do over the course of their careers, but there is definitely some potential here.

Doubles:

#1: Carl Reid / Vlad Murad: The Reid/Murad combo is the only established doubles team that the Mules have, but they can compete with anybody.  The duo went 9-5 last year, which is not great, but they had wins over Timmy Berg/Pierre Planche (NCAA doubles finalists last year from Bates) and Jay Glickman/Ben Battle (Tufts), among other triumphs.  They have played terrific this year, winning the Wallach Invite doubles A flight, taking out good teams from Tufts, Bowdoin, Skid, and Trin.  They won their first two rounds at the ITA tournament, losing to Amherst.  If Colby is going to do big things this year, Reid/Murad are going to have to be a lock at #1 doubles.

#2: Mark HoSang / Cameron Hillier: Hillier played in the #3 doubles slot for much of the year last year, and HoSang is a transfer, so who knows how this team will be.  So far, all they have to show is a 8-2 loss in the Wallach A flight to Palmer Campbell and Noah Farrell of Midd.

#3: Truman Samberg / Shaw Speer or Jeremy Mendoza / Douglas Mo: Both of these teams lost in the first round in the B flight of the Wallach, and it is clear to me that these freshmen need some more doubles matches under their belt.  Colby generally plays good doubles, so hopefully they will improve over the course of the offseason.

How can they get in the rankings:

Schedule: https://www.colby.edu/athletics/sport/mens-tennis/?view=schedulesandscores

Colby has done a good job in scheduling some easier matches early in the season, mixed with some early showdowns against Bates and Wisconsin-Whitewater, the two big wins that Colby had last season.  Eight of their first ten matches are against unranked teams like Hamilton, Southern Maine, Lawrence, and Union, so these should be good chances for the freshmen to get some doubles experience as well as some singles wins under their belts.  After their spring break trip, the CAC schedule really ramps up, as they finish with Amherst, Trin, Bowdoin, Tufts, Wes (and Conn College).

For a crew full of mostly two stars, Coach Wang has done a terrific job at developing his guys into very solid doubles players.  This is the route that I think more regional teams need to go.  Over the course of a two out of three set match, typically the more talented and higher ranked team will win but in a pro set, anything can happen!  It’s hard to teach singles, as players have competed in singles tournaments their whole lives, but good fundamental doubles is typically not something that young juniors focus on.  In this aspect, teams like Bates and Case Western have thrived by playing really good doubles, and I think this is something that Colby can follow suit with.  Last year, they won two doubles matches against Whitewater, Bates (!), Tufts, and Wesleyan.  They are losing four doubles starters, so it’s on Reid and Murad to work hard this winter to help their team improve on the doubles court.

Also, with Reid and Murad, the Mules will have a chance to win three points against any team they play.  If the sophomore dynamic duo gets a little bit more consistent on the doubles court, and Murad stays healthy in singles, this is a huge advantage that Colby will have over teams like Trinity and Whitewater, who might not have the strength at the top but may have more depth.

What can keep them from the rankings:

Along these same lines, spots 3-6 are a big question mark for Coach Wang and the Mules.  Colby struggled mightily in the lower flights of the Wallach, and because of this, I really do not see the Mules competing with ranked teams in these spots.  Matt Carroll and Jack Bryant were gritty players who made their opponents beat them, and although they were not the most talented, they knew how to play.  Also, Jason Ottomano, although he lost a lot at the top of the lineup, was a great leader and had firepower that will be missed this year.  I believe that the Mules are capable of some big wins this year, but it will take a little bit of time.

Prediction:

D3 tennis is just getting deeper and deeper, and more teams than ever before are in the mix for a top 30 ranking.  At #33 in the ITA rankings, and #32 in the opening power rankings, Colby is right in the mix with Stevens, Washington & Lee, and Depauw, and I bet it would be a battle if Colby played any of those teams.  However, I am really nervous about the depth of Colby.  I know I am basing this off of the Wallach Invitational, and that dual matches are much different than an individual tournament with different flights, but that is all I have!  Mendoza and Speer look like they can develop into good players down the road, but this might be a transition year for an extremely young group of guys.  I don’t see Colby beating Bates this year, as it is a home match for Bates this year and they are going to want revenge after the 6-3 loss last year.  Ultimately, I think Bates flips the score and wins 6-3, winning two out of three doubles matches, and at #1, #3, #4, and #5 singles (Pierre Planche over Reid!).  I also think that Colby will fall to Wisconsin-Whitewater, and lose against Amherst, Trinity, Bowdoin, Tufts and Wesleyan.  They will win all of their easier matches, and ultimately will keep their #33 national ranking.  They might even move up a spot, as I foresee NYU dropping out (more to come on that next week!).  I think the season after this will really be one to watch, as their talented freshmen will have some experience, and Reid / Murad will be even better.  Despite my negativity, Colby is definitely a dangerous team and one that cannot be overlooked, and I’m excited to follow them this year!