What’s good, boys and girls! I’m back from my first ever work retreat, which was really a gigantic waste of time. Worse than the freezing temperatures on our hike, was the fact that I didn’t get to follow Amherst’s 9-0 thumping of Middlebury or Bowdoin’s 6-3 comeback win over Williams. The final day of the regular season is fast approaching, and there remains one CRUCIAL match to be played. Tomorrow at 1pm, Bates travels to Williams with a bid to NESCACs squarely on the fence. Whichever team wins will make the postseason, and whichever falls will come up just short. Both teams play good doubles, and this match has 5-4 written all over it. Just so all you other NESCAC players can know who to root for, here are the two possible scenarios for NESCACs depending on tomorrow’s results.
IF WILLIAMS DEFEATS BATES
1) Amherst–After sweeping rival Midd today, Amherst would head into NESCACs as the overall #1 seed, and have a semifinal date with the winner of the Trinity Ct vs. Tufts rematch.
2) Middlebury–Midd fell 9-0 to Amherst today, and although the match was closer than the score, the Panthers are solidly entrenched as the #2 seed. In this scenario, Midd would get the winner of the Bowdoin vs. Williams rematch in the semis.
3) Bowdoin–2 nice wins in back to back days net the Polar Bears the #3 seed in both scenarios. Here, Bowdoin gets a rematch with Williams, whom they beat 6-3 today after rallying from a doubles deficit. I believe that this is an easier matchup for Bowdoin than Tufts is, but neither is a walk in the park.
4) Trinity Ct–Trin had the weekend off from match play, and will slot in as the #4 seed regardless of the Bates/Williams outcome. Here the Bants would get a rematch with Tufts, whom they beat 5-4 in the beginning of April.
5) Tufts–If Williams beats Bates, the Jumbos would finish the season in a tie for 5th with the Ephs. However, Tufts beat Williams last week, so the Jumbos would have the tiebreaker, setting up revenge match with Trinity Ct.
6) Williams–Obvious the team that would benefit most from a Williams win! For the Ephs everything is plain and simple. Win, and you’re in. If they do, they would get a rematch with Bowdoin in the 1st round.
7) Bates–1st team out of NESCACs
IF BATES DEFEATS WILLIAMS
1) Amherst–Again, nothing but positives for the Jeffs who are locked in as the #1 seed. In this scenario, they would get the winner of Trinity Ct and Bates in the semis. My guess is the Jeffs would prefer the other scenario, just in case they run up against Bates indoors, but I’m not sure it matters. Amherst looks scary good.
2) Middlebury–Not too much changes for Midd if Bates beats Williams. Only that the Panthers might end up playing Tufts instead of Williams if the #6 seed pulls a first round upset. Not to look ahead, but i’m guessing Midd is looking ahead to a finals rematch with the Jeffs.
3) Bowdoin–A first round matchup with Tufts is slightly trickier for the Polar Bears, if only because Tufts is playing their best ball of the season now. It shouldn’t matter too much, any team is a tough out at NESCACs, and Bowdoin still needs one more win to solidify their NCAA Pool-C bid.
4) Trinity Ct–Bates in the 1st round seems like an unwelcome reward for the #4 seeded Bantams. Trinity and Bates didn’t actually play during the regular season, so this is a first round matchup that would be very intriguing.
5) Bates–Again, win and they’re in. If Bates can win at Williams tomorrow afternoon then the Cats will end up being the #5 seed at NESCACs and set a first round date with Trinity Ct. That’s a lot of combined coaching experience right there…
6) Tufts–If Bates takes down Williams, Tufts ends up getting another crack at Bowdoin instead of Trinity Ct. Realistically, Tufts only lost to both squad 5-4, but the Bowdoin loss was with their better lineup. I think that Tufts fans should be rooting for the other scenario, so that the new-look Jumbos can try to take Trinity out behind the woodshed.
7) Williams–1st team out of NESCACs.
So tune into Twitter all Sunday afternoon for a variety of updates from @EphsTennis, @BatesTennis, and of course me, @D3Northeast. The Williams twitter feed is, in my opinion, the most entertaining feed in DIII tennis. I should be around for most of the match, providing a few updates as well. Good luck to both squads, and here’s to the last day of the regular season!