2015 Women’s Season Preview: #23 Case Western

#23 Case Western Reserve University

Location: Cleveland, OH
Coach: Kirsten Gambrell(2nd yr.)

2011-12: UR/#7 Reg.
2012-13: #25 Nat./#4 Reg.
2013-14: #22 Nat./#4 Reg.
2014-15: Preseason :#23 Nat./#4 Reg.

Twitter Handle: @casetennis1

Intro: Happy New Year to everyone! To kick off the new year D3 Central Women is proud to start with one of the fastest rising teams on the national level. Case Western Reserve came off a Spring of 2014 season and a Fall ITA tournament campaign that will position the Spartans for a huge jump in the national rankings and a welcomed change in the pecking order of the top 3 in the central region. We saw a sniff of the potential Coach Gambrell’s Spartans will have with a top 15 freshman class, an ITA regional semi-finalist in Fr. Nithya Kanagasegar, and a decisive 8-1 win over #32 Oberlin College without their best player. Competition that they would just look to get by will now be blow outs and they are primed to close the gap and open their own with some of the region’s elite. This looks to be the deepest line-up in Case Western’s recent memory.

Line-up Analysis:

Wow! A blend of experience and young talent in all the right places. Moving Sr. Marianne Bonnano down the line-up will find her confidence rise with a more manageable competition level. Capping the line-up with your future star, Fr. Nithya Kanagasegar and your still great superstar in Jr. Sara Zargham will offer a one-two punch that can match anyone in the country on any given day. Add Jr. Surya Khadilkar and Jr. Taylor Sweeney and the newly reinvigorated depth will give Chicago, DePauw, and Wash. U nightmares in preparation. You know what the scariest part is…They only lose one to graduation and have a pool of talent that will ultimately enhance them the following year.

Projected Line-up:

#1 Singles: Fr. Nithya Kanagasegar
ITA central region semi-finalist, 8.00 UTR. Future of this program

#2 Singles: Jr. Sara Zargham
2013 NCAA singles qualifier

#3 Singles: Sr. Marianne Bonnano
Coming off an entire season playing #1, seasoned and battle tested.

#4 Singles: Jr. Surya Khadilkar
Been all over the line-up and always delivers. Surya swings the depth

#5 Singles: Jr. Taylor Sweeney
Solid competitor from a strong tennis family.

#6 Singles: So. Sara Berchuck
Another crazy talented player that can play as high as #2 on any given day.

Doubles:

#1 Doubles: Zargham/Kanagasegar
#2 Doubles: Sweeney/Khadilkar
#3 Doubles: Djohan/Berchuck

2015 Schedule:

2/7 vs.Chicago
Allegheny
2/14 at Oberlin
2/28 vs.Rochester
3/1 at Ohio Wesleyan
3/9-11 Spring Break in Puerto Rico(opponents TBD.)
3/20 at Mary Washington
3/21 vs.Sewanee (neutral)
3/22 vs. Skidmore(neutral)
3/28 vs. Hope
4/3-4 Midwest Invite
4/18 at Denison

Analysis: Coach Gambrell is certainly aware of her position on the national scale as she adds #17 Skidmore, #21 Sewanee, and #22 Mary Washington. I truly believe the Spartans will send a message to the country and come out of that pool unscathed.A home match with Chicago will really set the tone in the region. However, it must be pointed out there are two key teams missing that should be on the docket! Where is DePauw and Wash U?! With the talent of this team, and the opportunity present, DePauw should have been a must! Was it scheduling differences or are the Tiger’s aware of the Spartan’s rise and avoided them all together? Luckily, Coach Gambrell’s squad will have a chance to face both of them at the midwest invite if the draw works out accordingly. A semi-final showdown with DePauw or Wash. U is looming, can’t avoid them there. Case will have to take care of business in a for sure in a challenging first round. Denison and Hope should push them, but will ultimately have the same fate as nothing looks to stop their meteoric rise this season as an elite program. The UAA tournament will give them as second chance to face Chicago a second time or Wash U, or even a chance to earn revenge from a close loss with Carnegie Mellon last season. Unfortunately for Coach Gambrell, she will need to knock off maybe 2 of the pre-season top 2 to be in position for a Pool C bid. Emory stands in the way of an AQ bid, making the task tough.

Keys to success:

Ultimately Coach Gambrell and the Spartans of Case Western will need
some things to work out in their favor. Here are a few things I think are keys for the Spartans to crack the top 15.

#1 Zargham, Zargham, Zargham. Sara Zhargam has shown incredible promise as a star in the region by qualifying for the 2013 NCAA tournament. Last year was kind of a let down for Sara, However, she looks to be close to her championship form here in 2014. If she plays like the talent she is, that 2 headed monster at the top will be a very tough out for anyone who plays them no matter the ranking.

#2 Consistent doubles! In addition to singles, this is the strongest doubles pairings Case Western will have had in their recent history. To knock off the elite teams, this is where they will need to set the tone for their singles line-up to close. Take it from me who has watched them in person, these squads are tough.

#3 They have to want it, and they have to realize what is in front of them. With a mix of young and veteran, the comprehension of their national situation is up in the air. Coach Gambrell definitely understands the urgency and opportunity. It is no doubt the players will feed off her and play their hearts out for the chance.

Thanks for tuning in, be sure to follow @d3CW on twitter for more previews as we break down the region over the next 2 months!