Spring Break Walla Walla Preview

Oh DIII tennis, why can’t I quit you!? I keep trying to pretend each article is my last, but it’s not even worth pretending anymore. Last year, Whitman hosted a major DIII tennis weekend for the first time since Coach Northam created DIII National Indoors, and it was a blast. Though CMS pretty much stole the show, the Whitman/Trinity and Trinity/Cruz matches were absolute barn-burners, and we got to see four courts of live video streaming for the Whitman/Cruz match. This year’s lineup isn’t nearly as juicy, but we’ve been guaranteed some indoor tennis, which means we’ll be able to watch. All of these teams have considerable history, so we should see some fireworks with FOUR COURTS OF LIVE STREAMING.

(Quick aside, since these matches are being played in February, I propose we rename Spring Break Walla Walla to Whitman’s Walla Walla, Washington Winter Wonderball or the WWWWWW)

Each of these teams have already hit the court this Spring so let’s take a quick look at the competitors…

#23 UC Santa Cruz

We missed out on what would have been a good measuring stick when the Slugs’ match against George Fox was rained out yesterday, but we got a look at their lineup at least when they got smoked by Santa Clara. Predictably, Littlejohn and the freshman Chad Stone were holding down the top two spots, while Richter was out with an injury. Word out of Santa Cruz is he is playing, which makes this Slug team quite a bit more dangerous than they might seem on the surface. He’ll probably slot in at #2 or 3 and team with Littlejohn to make a very solid #1 doubles team. Chetan Munugala is a new face at #5 singles, and Alexander Flora is a freshman who will likely be playing #6. A lot of inexperience and a lot of promise for the Slugs: it will be interesting to see what happens for them this year.

X-Factor: Coaching. The Slugs will have an unpaid assistant at the helm this year. I’m not entirely sure who it is or how that’s going to work, but will this new bit of adversity lead to chaos in the ranks or bring them together?

#21 Redlands

The Bulldogs played three matches on January 31st and just sort of threw their players in the lineup willy-nilly to get them all some experience. Here are the things we know for sure: Lipscomb, Cummins, Wilson, and Suchodolski are all healthy and playing; they have an embarassment of riches at the bottom of the lineup, including Hunt who is playing but might not be playing very well; it seems as though they like Lipscomb/Cummins and Burchett/Leahy as their top two doubles teams. The Bulldogs have a ton of capable players on their roster right now, and they pretty much all have at least a little big match experience. If it weren’t Redlands we were talking about here, they would be the hands-down favorites to finish the weekend 3-0, but, after all, it is Redlands we’re talking about, after all.

X-Factor: Parker Wilson. Wilson was missing from Redlands’ loss to Whitman last year, and he was really starting to play well before Cummins went down to ruin the Bulldogs’ season. If he can be solid in the heart of the lineup, Redlands will be very strong from top to bottom. Redlands’ success this weekend will depend largely on their sophomores: Wilson and Suchodolski.

#18 UT-Tyler

Tyler had a nice match on Monday when they got beat 7-2 by DII Midwestern State. You can’t learn much from that except for their lineup, which really isn’t all that telling anyways. Easily the most enigmatic team in the West, it’s hard to know what you’re going to get from the Patriots, but with Budd and Old Man Wootton near the top of the lineup, it’s clear Bizot didn’t reach into his bag of tricks and pull out a 5-star transfer at the semester (unless he’s keeping a player like that quiet because he knew they would crush Lutheran anyways, but who would do something like that? On second that, that’s exactly the sort of thing Bizot would do. If I’m Whitman, I’m terrified). This paragraph is just a long winded way of seeing, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

X-Factor: Old Man Wootton. Tyler was weak at the top of the lineup last year, and now they’ve got a 40 year-old leading the charge with three matches in two days. He’ll be the underdog in every match he plays this weekend, so every win he can pick up will be meaningful.

#13 Whitman

The hosts, at least, had the good decency to play a very obvious A-team/B-team this past weekend in their first action, so we know the scaffolding for their lineup. They’re going with Malesovas at the top with Hewlin right behind him. Alves isn’t in the lineup, and there’s no word as to whether or not he’ll be ready to go next weekend. It looks like the transfer Phil Locklear is playing some good tennis, while Whitman might actually keep the rest of their freshmen on the bench with Rivers and Jivkov in the last two spots. As the team is already relying so heavily on youth, having some experience at the bottom of the lineup is probably a good thing. Whitman’s strength at the top of the lineup, however, will depend a lot on whether or not Alves is in action and as good as advertised. The other thing the hosts might have going for them is the fact that these matches should be played inside and they usually have a considerable home court advantage. I doubt any of the other teams have played any indoor tennis in a while, and I’m guessing the hosts are hoping this will swing things their way.

X-Factor: #1 doubles team of Hewlin/Hoeger. This team is extremely dangerous but very raw. They’ll be going up against a lot of experienced doubles teams this weekend, and Whitman typically relies on its doubles prowess to get its ranked wins. With Tyler doubles looking suspect this past weekend, and Redlands’ doubles always being a question mark, wins from them would put Whitman in the drivers’ seat.

The Matches

#18 UT-Tyler @ #13 Whitman: Friday at noon

The best match, rankings-wise, is actually the first match of the weekend. It could be a tough one for the Patriots, as getting to Walla Walla can be a total pain, and the weather won’t do much to warm up their old bones. Playing in Tyler’s favor is history. The Pats have won their last three matches against Whitman in increasingly brutal fashion, saving a couple team match points to beat Whitman in NCAAs in their most recent match two years ago. Those teams were entirely different, but, as Chicago just proved, history like that has a way of following teams around. On paper, these teams were very similar last year: weak at the top, stronger at the bottom. Last year, Whitman was just a little stronger throughout the lineup, but little things could swing the match towards the Pats. Pending a secret player for UT-Tyler, I’m tentatively going with a 5-4 win for Whitman: they use their quick indoor courts to take a 2-1 doubles lead with wins at #1 and #2, and then win close ones at #2, #3, and #6 to clinch it.

#23 Santa Cruz @ #13 Whitman: Friday at 5 PM

The only thing Santa Cruz has going for them in this match is the fact that Whitman will have already played a match earlier in the day. Other than that, Whitman has been a house of horrors for UCSC. In their last couple matches in Walla Walla, they haven’t won a doubles match, and they got absolutely spanked by Whitman here last year after giving Trinity a good run for their money. I don’t know if Whitman still does this, but they might be able to get a couple hundred students out for a Friday evening match, so look for that to factor into the equation. These are two teams relying pretty heavily on their newcomers, but Whitman’s newbies seem to be a little bit more proven. This is far from a lock for Whitman, but they’re definitely favored to the tune of a 6-3 victory. I’ll take another Whitman doubles sweep followed by wins at #3, #4, and #5 singles.

#18 UT-Tyler vs. #21 Redlands: Saturday at 8 AM

Tyler will have a few situational advantages in this match. They’ll have already played a match on Whitman’s courts, and they won’t be as stiff from the travel. All other factors point towards Redlands. The Lipscomb/Cummins combo was nearly unstoppable for non-top 10 teams last year, and they seem to finally have a healthy lineup. They have top 10-caliber depth, and much more experience (unless you count the summative total of Wootton’s experience). UT-Tyler might have more intangibles, but I’m leaning towards a 6-3 Redlands victory with wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #1, #2, #3, and #5 singles. These two teams played an absolute war of a match last year, and things could get pretty heated if the Pats take two doubles matches.

#18 UT-Tyler vs. #23 UC Santa Cruz: Saturday at noon

I really don’t know what to make of this match. As I’ve said repeatedly, it’s really hard to say what Tyler is going to bring to the table this weekend, and Santa Cruz is very unproven. Both teams have experience at the top of the lineup and guys who haven’t seen a big DIII match yet at the bottom. Fatigue could definitely play a factor for Tyler. I know it won’t be hot, and Bizot always has his guys fit, but Wootton’s old bones won’t be feeling that great after two singles matches. Ultimately, I think it will come down to some freshman-on-freshman action at #6 singles, and I think Flora will be solid for the Slugs this weekend. Unless Bizot has somebody up his sleeve, I’m leaning towards a 5-4 Santa Cruz victory with wins at #1 doubles, #3 doubles , #1 singles, #3 singles, and #6 singles. That’s pretty much a blind guess, but I’ve got a craving for escargot in my gut.

#23 UC Santa Cruz vs. #21 Redlands: Saturday at 5 PM

Looking at these match times, Coach Northam is absolutely dreaming if he thinks he’s playing these matches on four courts in four hours. This match will probably get started closer to 7 or 8 PM, because I’m sure a lot of you all will be snuggling up on a cozy Valentine’s Night to watch some DIII Tennis. Either way, this match should be all Redlands. UCSC will have played two close matches already, and Redlands will have had time to rest up after their morning match against Tyler. Redlands’ strength at the top trumps the experience of Littlejohn and Richter (Richter might not be truly ready to compete after his injury, anyways). Redlands is deeper, and should run away with this. The only chance Santa Cruz has is to come out firing in doubles. Cummins/Lipscomb is Redlands’ only proven doubles combo, and Littlejohn/Richter could take them down. With a couple wins at the bottom doubles spots, things could get close. More realistically, I think Redlands will win at #1 and #3 doubles. They’ll follow that up with wins at #1, #2, #3, #5, and #6 singles for a 7-2 victory.

#21 Redlands @ #14 Whitman: Sunday at 9 AM

If everything goes according to my predictions, the last match of the weekend will feature the two best teams in the quad, and this match is absolutely huge. On the line for Whitman is their ranking and potential NCAA seeding implications, but for Redlands, a loss to Whitman could really come back and bite them, as Whitman has a decent chance of playing Case Western this year (Kiddie Pool C Alert!). Redlands is stronger at the top of the singles lineup and has more experience. Whitman will be fresher, traditionally plays stronger doubles, and is one of the few teams that can match Redlands’ depth. I’m predicting Whitman starts things off with some energy and takes a 2-1 lead in doubles with wins at #2 and #3. After that, Lipscomb and Cummins will take over early in singles to push Redlands over the top, but Whitman will equalize with Locklear at #4.

Ultimately, I think Redlands’ experience will push them over the top, and they will avenge themselves on the Squirrels with victories at #5 and #6 for a 5-4 win. Both of these teams are pretty fiery, and they got a little salty last year. I fully expect more of the same this weekend, but I think Redlands will momentarily bolster their faint Pool C hopes and leave Walla Walla undefeated. Whitman has always shown flashes of brilliance, but they’ve never been able to sustain good play for long stretches, and I think they’ll finish a disappointing 2-1 at home.