Regional Roundup – Week Ending 3/12

Another regional week in the books! Now this past week wasn’t quite as crazy as those two matches on Wednesday were, with Pomona v. Bowdoin and Redlands v. Wesleyan. Regardless, I still love my regional teams, and therefore I am writing another very long article about everything that happened and everything that is going to happen. Speaking of long articles, I’m still searching for that perfect formula to cover all of these teams, so bear with me. I have a lot of matches to get to, so here we gooooo…

The Week That Was:

As we have done in other previews, I’m using last week’s power rankings rather than the updated power rankings, which include these results in them.

Friday:

MIT def Vassar 6-3: Not gonna lie, I was right on with this prediction. MIT took a couple doubles matches, and I knew if that happened, MIT’s would just be too deep in singles for the Brew Crew to come back. Nick Litsky (VC) had a good win at #1 over Kevin Wang and Christian Phelps (VC) took out Kenny G(ea), who dropped to #3 and is unfortunately having trouble winning matches, as he lost in both singles and doubles, and was pulled from singles in the Engineers’ next match against Queens College. For Vassar to get in the top 40, they simply need to improve at the bottom of the lineup, and Daniel Cooper needs to regain his form at #2 singles. Cooper played #1 all of last year, and had wins over Michael Arguello (Deis) and Ben Shapiro (Rochester), so the guy is capable of playing at a high level. Unfortunately, the lefty captain is struggling at the moment. As for MIT, they are going to be a dangerous team all year, as they are always talented and if they can get hot and take a couple doubles matches, like they did against Vassar, they are capable of taking some quick singles matches. MIT has big matches coming up against Bates on 3/14 and NEWMAC foe Babson on 4/1. Babson is playing well right now, and will be gunning for the Engineers!

Saturday:

#31 Stevens def #35 Swarthmore 6-3: Big win for the Ducks! Stevens came out and took 2 out of 3 doubles matches, setting the tone for an absolute grind in singles. 5 and 6 were quick, but there were only 3 indoor courts at Swat, so singles started with 3 long singles matches. Heinrich (Stevens) and Feldman (Stevens) both got it done in three sets, but Mark Fallati (Swat) had a big straight set win over Ben Foran to keep Swat’s hopes alive. Danny Polk at #5 ultimately clinched the win at #5 over Matt Hirsh, winning in two quick sets and creating a new hash tag in the process, #ThatsAllPolks! I knew Stevens was going to be better than Swat in doubles going into this match, but what surprised me was the fact that they won 4 out of 6 singles matches. Steven’s depth was really the only thing that I questioned, but winning spots #3-5 bodes well for their upcoming matches against Brandeis and Whitewater. As for the Garnet, we know they rebounded well against W&L, but I’m still concerned about their doubles against higher ranked teams.

#30 Skidmore def #41 NYU 7-2: I was right on the money with this pick, not to toot my own horn or anything. Skid took the 2-1 lead after doubles, with Sidd Thangirala/Ian Combemale (NYU) taking the win at 1. Combemale had the one singles win for NYU, taking out Steven Koulouris in three sets. Combemale is emerging as the top Violet freshman and definitely a player to watch going forward. As for the rest of the lineup, Thangirala was a solid #4 last year, but #1 is a little high for him at the moment. CJ Leong (NYU) is a streaky but pretty good #2, and although he lost in straights to Sanderson, he will get his swagger and more importantly his timing back as he plays more matches. The loss of Steven Wu is really hampering this lineup at the moment, as he was such a great competitor and really set the tone of every match NYU played. The Violets have a couple weeks off before they “host” UAA foe Rochester at the Stadium Tennis Center. Rochester, just like NYU, is up and down at the moment, so this should be a good match.

#30 Denison def Kalamazoo 6-3: Kzoo made a bid for a big upset in this one, but unfortunately just did not have the singles depth to get it done. They took 2 out of 3 doubles, which has to be a concern for the Big Red, who generally plays very good doubles. Denison has led after doubles in one of their five matches this season, not a good statistic for them. The Big Red got it done in singles, however, taking #3-#6 all in straight sets. #1 Grant Veltman (Denison) also had a good win over Branden Metzler, coming back from 5-3 down in the third set. The play of Casey Cempre (Denison) at #2 is a worry, as he has won zero sets in five dual matches so far. Despite all of this, Denison got out of Kalamazoo with a victory and now heads out to Cali, where they’ll play Tufts, Sewanee, Salisbury, and Trinity CT. It would have been nice for them to actually get a California team scheduled, but I guess it just didn’t work out. Denison has a couple of weeks off before they head out to Atlanta to take on Emory and Ogelthorpe.

Babson def Vassar 8-1: This was a match I didn’t preview but definitely had my eye on and boy, did Babson beat up on the Brewers in this match. Babson got their #2, Isaac Thylen (BC), back for this match, and that made a huge difference in singles. Thylen took out Daniel Cooper in straights, and didn’t lose a beat getting back into the lineup. The other matches were all pretty tight, with Roberto Perez (BC) taking out Nick Litsky in a superbreaker, a great win for Perez. Victor Vu (BC) also won in a superbreaker at #3, defeating Christian Phelps. The Beavers are officially on my radar, as they look to finally dethrone MIT at the top of the NEWMAC. Babson goes on a nice trip out to Puerto Rico, but they will take on MIT on 4/1, a huge match for fans of the NEWMAC, and for regional tennis writers like myself. Vassar is heading out to Cali like every other team, and they’ll take on Chapman, Cal Lu, Whittier, and George Fox while they are out there. That’s four terrific matches for the Brewers, and while they are not deep enough to beat Cal Lu, the other three are all really good matchups.

Sunday:

#9 Carnegie Mellon def Rochester 9-0: Carnegie brought it in this match, and absolutely dominated #1-3 singles. #4-6 were tight-ish, but the Tartans took them all. The one thing that the ‘Jackets can take out of this match is that the bottom of their lineup is relatively strong. Rochester is a deep team, and they should feel confident at these spots in their other big matches coming up this year, including NYU, TCNJ, and RPI.

#30 Skidmore def #42 RPI 6-3: RPI is a group of grinders, and they battled Skidmore pretty well in this one. They came out and took 2 out of 3 doubles, a great start for them. RPI is a good doubles team, and they proved it in this one. As for singles, Tristan Wise (RPI) at #3, my personal favorite Engineer, took out Steve Koulouris in straights, but Skid took the other five matches. A couple went to third sets, and none of the matches were absolute blowouts. RPI is just a couple of players away from being a good top 40 team, but they will still compete with everybody regardless. The Engineers have a couple Liberty League matchups before they also go out to California, where they take on Occidental, Pacific, and George Fox. These will be good tests for RPI, as Occidental is tricky, and Pacific/George Fox are both playing well. RPI actually lists University of the Pacific, not Pacific (OR), on their schedule, but Pacific (OR) does list RPI on its schedule on the same date, so I’m assuming RPI made a scheduling error. That’s okay Engineers!

Monday:

#5 Wash U def Rochester 7-2: Wash U sat John Carswell (#1), Jeremy Bush (#4), and Johnny Wu (#5) in singles matches for this one to get some other guys some playing time, and took the match 7-2. Sam Leeman (UR) had a good straight set win for the Yellowjackets at #5, and Aaron Mevorach/Ian Baranowski (UR) won at #3 doubles. This is more of the same from the Carnegie match, as Rochester competed best at #3-6.

#35 Swarthmore def #34 Washington & Lee 7-2: This was a good bounce-back win for Swat over a W&L team that I don’t think is that good, although they haven’t had too many good matches yet. Swat predictably lost 2 out of 3 doubles matches, but came out and took all the singles matches (Chris Hu from W&L had to retire). Mark Fallati (SC) and Ari Cepelewicz (SC) won in three set matches, but Swat really flexed their depth as they took #4-6 in straights. I’m not sure if this is Swat really being all that deep or if W&L just isn’t deep at all. Either way, a good win for Swat as this match will give them some confidence going into their match vs. Mary Washington on Friday. The Generals will also take on Mary Wash, on Saturday.

#40 Coe def #33 McMurry 7-2: This was a really good overall win for the Kohawks, even though McMurry was missing their #1 in this match. The Kohawks took 2 out of 3 doubles and won at #1, and #3-6, all in quick straight set matches. Riley Galbraith (Coe) lost in a superbreaker to Casjen Rico at #2, but the Kohawks were in every single match except #3 doubles. McMurry is top-heavy, so losing Gabriel Aboitiz makes a big difference although Aboitiz lost to Daniel Budd in McMurry’s match with UT-Tyler, so he isn’t Federer or anything. I’ll get more into Coe in my next recap, but as for McMurry, this was a tough loss for them in really their second of two good matches the entire season. They play UT-Dallas in mid-April which is a decent match, but McMurry is out of opportunities for the year.

Tuesday:

#22 UT-Tyler def #40 Coe 8-1: Ryan Hickman, man! Before I get into the rest of this match, just wanted to give some more props to my POTW, who won again at #4 singles, beating Frankie Fischer (UTT), a really good #4 player in himself. I need to come up with a good nickname for Hickman, and suggestions are welcomed. As for the rest of this match, the Kohawks competed hard, but were simply outmatched. They weren’t destroyed at any position whatsoever, and Riley Galbraith (Coe) took Chris Wootton to a superbreaker. I think Coe is just a notch below Tyler, but they are legit and definitely a top 40 squad. The Kohawks will soon be heading up to Minnesota to take on Gustavus, another good opportunity.

Chapman def Rochester 5-4: Panthers! Chapman upset Rochester last season, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect it to happen again. I really didn’t expect it when Rochester came in and took 2 out of 3 doubles matches, and Ben Shapiro (UR) had a dominating win over Justin Thompson at #1. The middle of Chapman’s lineup came up huge, with Justin P. Thompson, Brett Buford, and Charlie Werman (CC) all winning in straights. Sam Mitteldorf (UR) brought it home at #6 with another straight set win over Aaron Mevorach. This has to be a disappointing loss for the Yellowjackets, who lost at their strongest positions. Good win for Chapman, though, who I think will battle with Whittier this year when they play at the beginning of April.

Top Storylines:

Battle for the top 30:

Right now, Stevens has helped its case the most out of any of my regional teams. This is mostly because they’ve had the strongest schedule so far, playing NC Wesleyan (W), Mary Washington (L), Denison (L), RPI (W), and Swat (W). Swarthmore has also made a statement, beating NYU and Washington & Lee. Many of my teams have not really gotten into their season yet, as Brandeis has a ton of ranked matches coming up, Colby has not started, and teams like Pacific and Sewanee have some great opportunities in southern Cal.

Biggest surprise so far:

We don’t have too many matches to go off of yet, so this isn’t exactly Swat over CMS, but Babson’s strong start to their season is something to note. Sure, they are 1-1 this Spring, but they competed well with Bates, and would have done even better had Isaac Thylen been in the lineup. I think the Beavers are for real and they’ll have a really good shot at beating MIT in a few weeks. Babson takes on Brandeis the week after that, and I think the Judges take it, but it’s going to be closer than its ever been between these two schools.

Biggest disappointment:

Again, not too many matches so far means not too many disappointments, but Vassar is a school that I thought was ready to start competing with Skidmore and now RPI at the top of the Liberty League. Nick Litsky is becoming a good #1 at the top, but this team really drops off after that and does not play very good doubles. On the bright side, like I’ve already discussed, the Brewers have six excellent matches in a row, each of which Vassar has a chance to win. These are, in order, Chapman, Cal Lu, Whittier, George Fox, NYU, and RPI. The Brewers are still a very young team, and they’ll continue to improve with their second year head coach, Alex Wong.

What To Watch For:

Now that I am looking forward to the next week, I’ll use our most recent set of power rankings, released on Tuesday. I don’t want to make this preview too annoyingly long, so I’m only going to preview matches through Monday. I’ll release another article previewing Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s matches, including, most notably, Colby @ Bates, Denison v. Sewanee, and Vassar @ Whittier.

Friday

#36 Sewanee vs. #9 Carnegie Mellon @ Pepperdine: check out my Sewanee preview for the preview of this one!

#35 Swarthmore @ #20 Mary Washington: For a young team, Swat has had a good start to their year, but Mary Washington has really shown their toughness by winning some really close matches. Mary Wash is 5-2 against ranked squads this year, with their best wins being over Denison and Cal Lu. They have been up and down in doubles so far this year, actually getting swept against Cal Lu in doubles but taking #2-6 in singles. Swat has pretty much just been down, and Mary Washington is just a little better than they are in doubles. However, doubles is weird and doesn’t really make sense, so I’m predicating Swat to gut out one of the three. The Garnet are really good at #2-4 singles, but so is Mary Washington unfortunately. Mark Fallati at 2 has been the most impressive, and I think he gets it done against Stratton Gilmore. Tyler Carey has been inconsistent at #1 for Mary Wash, and I think John Larkin beats him in a close three setter. However, Mary Washington wins at the bottom and takes #3-6, winning 6-3.

George Fox @ #37 Pacific (OR): NWC! This match should be a battle between the #2 and #3 teams in the good old pacific northwest. Both teams have had very similar results in conference so far. I think the Boxers will take a 2-1 lead going into singles, winning at #1 and #3. I think Giancarlo Battaglia gets it done again at #1 singles, and I also like Brennan Faith at #2. The rest of the matches will be really close, as the Boxers are going to struggle to find that fifth point. However, at #4, Clark Wininger is going to win 6-4 in the third and win the match for the Boxers. I do think GF is better at #5 and #6 so they will take those, but it won’t quite be enough.

Saturday

#31 Stevens @ #7 Middlebury: This is the opening match for the Middlebury Panthers, and it should be a good one. Stevens has been playing ranked teams tight all year, and I think this continues. I actually think Matthew Heinrich/Ben Foran will win at #1 doubles over…maybe Palmer Cambell/Noah Farrell although Coach Hansen could really roll out anybody. I do think Midd will win at 2 and 3 and take a 2-1 lead into the singles. At #1 singles, Heinrich will most likely take on Ari Smolyer, although it could also be freshman Noah Farrell or Palmer Cambell. Smolyer had a darn good fall, and him versus Heinrich should be terrific. I’m actually going to take Heinrich, as he’s been playing great all year, and Smolyer might come out a little tentative. However, Midd is Midd for a reason, and I’m taking them at #2-6, though a couple of those could be pretty tight, especially #4, most likely Charles Drake vs. Jackson Frons. Again, I’m completely guessing on the Midd lineup, but Drake has had a nice year and his game matches up well against Frons’.  Midd plays Brandeis later the same day, so Coach Hansen may split his squad up a bit for the two matches.

#15 Bates @ MIT: The Bobcats make another trip back down to the Boston area for this one. I think Bates rolls through doubles and sweeps. As for singles, Bates has really impressed me with their depth so far, and I think Ben Rosen gets it done at #5 over Jeffrey Bu. Eugene Oh vs. Chris Ellis and Dennis Garcia vs. Brett Feldman will both go three because Ellis and Feldman always go three, and Feldman will win but Oh will actually take out Ellis. As for the other matches, Bates will just be too good. 8-1 Cats.

#38 Colby @ Hamilton: Opening match for my Colby Mules! It will be good to see Carl Reid and Vlad Murad back out there, and they should have no problems with Hamilton. Also, why is Hamilton in the NESCAC when they are in NY. Stick these fellas in the Liberty League or something. Anywayyy, Hamilton actually took 2 doubles matches last year against Colby, and Colby barely took #1, winning 9-8. Colby rolled in singles, and they should this year as well. Hamilton will take just 1 doubles match this time around, and Colby will win 8-1.

#36 Sewanee @ #18 Redlands: in my Sewanee preview!

#27 Brandeis @ #7 Middlebury: Match #2 of the day for the Panthers, taking on a very similar team in Deis. Deis has been all over the place so far this year, and I would honestly call none of their positions big strengths, but none of them are necessarily weak, except for #3 doubles, which has not looked good. Again, it’s going to be incredibly tough to predict Midd’s lineup, especially because Midd is playing Stevens earlier this day and will probably split up their lineup. As for the match, I like the way Jeff Cherkin/Michael Arguello played through Cali, and I think they win at #2 doubles, but Midd wins a tight one at 1 and dominates whoever plays third doubles for Deis. In singles, I think the Judges’ best chances to get matches are at #3 (Michael Arguello) and either #5 or 6 (Alec Siegel). Both players have been playing well and have good games for indoor courts. I think one of these guys wins in a super-breaker, but Midd is too much for the Judges in this one. 7-2 Panthers.

#35 Washington & Lee @ #20 Mary Washington: I thought Mary Washington’s depth was going to be too much for Swarthmore, so I definitely think it is too much for the Generals. Hopefully, Chris Hu will be back for W&L, and if he isn’t, I don’t think they have much of a shot at all. I do think #1-3 singles will be tight, as Jordan Krasner and Micahel Holt have had good years and Mary Washington can struggle at the top of their lineup. Even if W&L takes both, they just are not deep enough and Mary Washington will take #3-6, or #4-6 if Hu is playing. Doubles will be tighter than Mary Washington vs. Swat, but I still think Mary Wash takes 2. I’ll say 6-3 Mary Washington, but #4-6 won’t be close.

Sunday

#31 Stevens vs. #27 Brandeis @ Middlebury: This is my pick for match of the weekend, and it’s taking place up at Midd. This match initially was an opportunity for Stevens to get a win over a higher-ranked team, but Stevens is actually ranked higher by the ITA, at #29, while Deis is #33. Regardless, these teams have never played that I know of, so hopefully it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Let’s get into the preview. Both teams are weak at #3 doubles and stronger at #1 and #2. I like Stevens to take #3 and Brandeis to take #1 and #2. Singles is interesting. It starts at #1 with Heinrich vs. Brian Granoff. Granoff has been up and down and Heinrich has pretty much just been up, but Granoff is capable of playing with anybody when he’s striking the ball well. I’ll take Heinrich just because of his consistency. Both teams are strong in the middle of the lineup, and I’ll go with Ryan Bunis getting a big win over Ben Foran, but Michael Feldman taking out Michael Arguello. At #4, a hopefully healthy Danny Lubarsky will take on Charles Drake. I’m going to take Drake. So the match will be 4-3 Ducks going into the last two singles matches. I’ll take Danny Polk to take out either Eric Miller or Alec Siegel at #5, but I’ll take Brandeis at #6.  After doing the math, that’s Stevens with the big 5-4 victory up at Midd!  Man, I’m exhausted.

Monday

#24 Trinity CT vs. #36 Sewanee @ Claremont: in my Sewanee preview once again.

Alright, I’m tired, it’s Friday morning, and I’m ready for the weekend. I’m out of here but I am really excited to follow all these matches all weekend! D3Reg out.