Regional Roundup – Brandeis Recap, ASouth Spring Breaks, and More!

Greetings, everyone!  I didn’t come out with a Regional Roundup last week, partly because Brandeis was still mid spring-break, and mostly because I didn’t want to stop watching Indoor Nationals and I’m a very mediocre multi-tasker.  Don’t fear though, because I have a nice long one this week, starting with a recap of everything that happened over the past week and a half, and finishing with a preview of the week to come, mostly focusing on the W&L and CNU spring breaks, though I have a couple Northeast/Asouth matches in there as well.  I discuss a lot of teams, so get reading!

The Week that Was:

#32 Washington & Lee def. #37 Christopher Newport 6-3   

The Generals won this match last year by the same 6-3 score, and CNU came into this match with high hopes after the win over NC Wesleyan.  Unfortunately for the Captains, the match went pretty much the same way as last year, with W&L jumping out to the 2-1 lead after doubles, including a tight 9-7 win at second dubs, and ultimately won 4 of 6 singles matches for the 6-3 win.  There were two three-set matches, with each team winning one, and the other singles results were relatively close.  W&L ultimately proved to be stronger up top, with Michael Holt defeating David Reed 5 and 1, and at the bottom, with Zack Ely defeating Arttu Fiva 5 and 3.  The Generals will take this momentum and carry it into a quick Cali trip next week, with matches against Cal Lutheran and Redlands.  Check out a preview of that below!  For the Captains, they still have plenty of opportunities left, again starting with a Cali trip, featuring matches against CMS, Chapman, Cal Lu, and Redlands, with the matches starting this Saturday.  Previews of those below as well.

#28 Brandeis def. #38 Chapman 9-0

Brandeis had quite the start to their season with a dominating 9-0 win against the Panthers.  There were a lot of questions surrounding this Judges team, including several freshmen, questions about their doubles lineup, and how the middle of their lineup would fare.  In this match anyway, they answered all of these questions, first by dominating the doubles against a Chapman team that plays pretty good doubles, and then rolling through the singles, winning two super breakers but winning the other four matches very easily.  Unfortunately, #1 Brian Granoff injured himself in this match and was unable to play the rest of the California trip, but Brandeis has a few weeks off before their next match, so he should have time to rest.  Also, a small surprise was not seeing senior Danny Lubarsky in the singles lineup, but it seems like the Brandeis youth, including sophomore Ethan Saal, and freshmen Jackson Kogan and Tyler Ng, are up to the task of locking down the bottom of the Judges singles lineup.  I’ll get to some things to build on for the Judges when I recap their other matches, but as far as takeaways go for this one, there is nothing wrong with a 9-0 victory.

For Chapman, the questions have to start with their singles lineup.  Sam Mitteldorf played #6 last year, and I know that Charlie Werman and Justin Thompson are dealing with some injuries, but Mitteldorf is simply not going to win very many matches at #2 for the Panthers.  For the rest of the lineup, Buford and Werman both battled very well, falling in tight super breakers, but the rest of the lineup lost their matches very routinely, with a 6-0 set in each of those four matches.  The bottom of Brandeis’ lineup is better than in years past, but in looking at how they did the rest of the spring break, the back half of Chapman’s lineup has some work to do.  On paper, they are still looking like the #4 team in the SCIAC, but they are closer to #5 right now than they are to #3.

#28 Brandeis and #34 Cal Lutheran rained out

I didn’t know it rains in southern California, but apparently it did on this day, as Brandeis and Cal Lu were unfortunately rained out.  I still think Brandeis takes this match relatively easily, but we’ll never know!

#15 Redlands def. #28 Brandeis 5-4

What a disappointment for a regional writer like myself, but congrats to Redlands on what was a great comeback!  Brandeis started this match by continuing their terrific doubles play, by jumping out to a 3-0 lead with 8-6, 8-4, and 8-3 wins, respectively.  What was especially impressive was that the Judges threw a sophomore/freshman combo in there at #3 doubles for the first time in Ethan Saal/Tyler Ng.  It earned Ng POTW honors, and it also earned the Judges a victory at that spot.  Anyways, the Judges were surely feeling pretty great about themselves, only to lose very quickly at #3, #4, and #6 singles.  Michael Arguello also lost 3 and 4 at #1 to Joey Dulle, a guy who mostly played #5 for Redlands last year but is clearly playing some fine tennis to be playing at #1.  The heartbreaker for Deis was at #2, where Ryan Bunis fought back to take the second set against Chase Lipscomb, only to fall 6-3 in the third to lose the 5^th and deciding match.  Tyler Ng ultimately came away with the win at #5, the lone bright spot in the Judges singles lineup.  For all the touting of Brandeis’ depth that I did against Chapman, it all kind of fell apart against a top 20 team.  Everyone playing up a spot, some guys in their first or second dual match, is certainly difficult, and the Judges will learn from this experience.  For Redlands, I’m no D3West, but they have to be happy to come out of this one with a win, and they showed some great character by fighting back.  Doubles is something that can be developed, but singles fight is tough to come by, and the Bulldogs did a great job of that in this match.

#1 CMS def. #28 Brandeis 9-0

I’m sure that the last thing Brandeis wanted to do after falling 5-4 to the #15 team in the country was to have to come out the next day and face #1.  They battled at points in this match, but the scoreline was reminiscent of their match against Chapman, just flipped the other direction.  They were swept in doubles (though #2 was a tight 9-8), and were beaten badly in 4 of the 6 singles matches. There are a couple bright spots, as at #6, freshman Zach Cihlar went from losing 0 and 2 to Jake Ly at Redlands in his first ever start to falling 7-6 in the third to Rohan Shankar.  I was following the live scoring on the CMS site as well and I believe Cihlar served for it at 5-4 in the third.  Regardless, this was still a nice effort from the freshman and, although he currently is not slated to start once Granoff comes back, more depth is never a bad thing.  One last takeaway was at #2, where Ryan Bunis fell 10-7 in the third to Glenn Hull, taking the second 6-2.  Although Bunis went 1-2 on the trip, he went three sets in all three matches, winning against Werman, a solid player, and falling to Lipscomb and Hull, two great players.  He is playing at a high level right now, and definitely helps round out the Judges at #3 singles.

Ithaca def. Rochester 5-4

This result went a bit under the radar from over a week ago, but I wanted to quickly cover it, since it is actually a pretty huge upset.  Rochester, who is always right around the national rankings, and currently ranked #15 in the Northeast, lost 5-4 to Ithaca, who is not even ranked regionally, behind schools like Babson, Coast Guard, and Vassar.  Ithaca won 2 of 3 doubles and then won close straight set matches at #1-3.  Rochester was clearly the deeper team, as they won much more one-sided matches at #4-6.  Regardless, Ithaca still won in straights at the #1-3 spots, so it’s not as if the Jackets were a point or two from winning any of those matches.  For Ithaca, this isn’t a program-changing win, but it’s a really great building block, and should push them well into the regional rankings, though those aren’t slated to come out until 3/21.  Ithaca will have to keep it going however against schools like St. Lawrence and Hobart who will now be gunning for Ithaca.  The good news for them is that they have matches in April against Stevens and TCNJ, and I will definitely be keeping an eye on these to see what they can do.

For the Jackets, this is certainly a disappointing result for a team that really only lost their #4 last year (Julian Danko, one of my personal favs), and have a new #1 in Masaru Fojimaki, meaning their #1-3 guys from last year can now play #2-4 and give a little depth.  This wasn’t the best start for the Jackets, but they do play Vassar on Saturday, which should be a good test against a team who, on paper, is definitely a little better than Ithaca.  The Jackets also will play Brandeis and NYU in season this year, meaning they are still basically in control of their UAA seed.  Anyway, congrats to Ithaca on what was an outstanding team win!

#30 UCSC def. #38 Chapman 7-2

D3West predicted a 7-2 victory for UCSC in this one, and he was right on the money.  With better health for the Panthers, I may have gone with a 6-3 result, but Chapman is hurting right now at a couple of positions, which is unfortunate for them given how early in the season it is.  In this match, the doubles was pretty tight, with the B. Slugs taking a 2-1 lead on a 9-8 win at #3.  In singles, UCSC took advantage of the lack of Panther depth, with easy wins at #5 and #6, and also a straight set win over Sam Mitteldorf at #2.  The kicker for the Panthers was that Werman had to pull out down 5-0 in the first, and Thompson did not play at all.  Right now for the Panthers, the focus has to be on getting healthy for Sunday, when they will take on Christopher Newport, a team that should be very even to them and is ranked just one spot ahead of them in the rankings at #37.  If Chapman has both Werman and Thompson, this should be a tight match.  Check out a preview of that one down at the bottom.

#36 Coe def. Carleton 7-2

Carleton has a solid program and a young lineup, with a sophomore at #1 and freshmen at #2 and #3, so I was interested to see how they would fare against #36 Coe.  Coe is ranked #8 in the central region, with Carleton a few spots behind at #11, so this was a big opportunity for them both regionally and nationally.  Coe won the match relatively easily, with 2 of 3 doubles wins and four straight-sets singles wins.  Junior Ezra Frankel won in straight sets at #5 for Carleton, and Alex Bernt of Coe beat Andrew Qi in a super breaker.  Overall, there were some tight sets but Coe did win the match fairly comfortably.  For Carleton, this was a nice measuring stick for them to see where they are at in their development.  They play four ranked matches over the course of the season, with the other three being DePauw, UW-Whitewater (both in Hilton Head on Spring Break), and Gustavus at the end of April.  They also play Oberlin in SC, a similar team ranked one spot behind Carleton regionally.  Overall, this was a nice solid win for the Kohawks, and a great opportunity for Carleton to battle a nationally ranked school.

The Week to Come:

Washington & Lee heads out to Cali this week for a quick couple of matches, and CNU heads out the week after.  We also have a couple weekend matches, as Rochester looks to right the ship against Vassar, and NYU gets their season started against Swarthmore.  No time for games.  Previews below!

Thursday 2/25

#32 Washington & Lee @ #34 Cal Lutheran

The Generals head west for a very speedy Cali trip, starting with the Kingsmen this Thursday.  Cal Lu is currently ranked #34, and although I don’t think they are the #34 team in the country, they did have a great comeback against Whittier last week, fighting back from a 3-0 deficit after doubles.  Gio Valdez from Cal Lu isn’t an amazing #1, but he’s definitely solid, but there are a ton of question marks after that spot, and it’s difficult to know just how good (or not good) the Kingsmen are since their match against Brandeis was rained out last week.  Washington & Lee put out a nice complete effort against CNU for a big 6-3 win last week, and they are playing well at both the top and the bottom, with Michael Holt and Jordan Krasner manning the first two spots, and Will Bannister and Zack Ely locking down the bottom.  The Generals play solid and experienced doubles as well, which should hurt the young Cal Lu squad.  Cal Lu clearly fights hard, as they showed against Whittier, but W&L simply has more game, and I’ll go with them in a comfortable win.

Prediction:  W&L 7-2 (wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #1-3, #5-6 singles)

Friday 2/26

#32 Washington & Lee @ #15 Redlands

The Generals will conclude their trip with a Friday match out to Redlands.  Redlands is a tough squad to judge right now.  Sure, they won 5 of 6 singles matches against Brandeis, 4 of those easily, but they were also swept in 3 pretty routine doubles matches, which nearly cost them the match.  Redlands might not be as top-heavy or quite as deep as in the past, but they are still very talented, and they play awfully well on their home courts.  I think Joey Dulle vs. Michael Holt at #1 has the chance to be a great match, but I just see Redlands dominating the middle of the lineup just like they did against the Judges.  If W&L can sweep doubles, things obviously get a lot tighter, but I bet Coach Roche has had the Bulldogs playing doubles just about every day up to this match.  I have to go with the Bulldogs, but I do think this match will be close.

Prediction:  Redlands 6-3 (wins at #1 doubles, #1-5 singles)

Saturday 2/27

Vassar @ Rochester

Both teams are coming off losses, though Vassar lost 6-3 to #24 Skidmore in a match where they managed to split the singles, and Rochester lost 5-4 to Ithaca.  Neither school is ranked nationally, though Rochester is a few spots ahead at #15 in the northeast, with Vassar at #20, though that should change with the Ithaca loss.  Vassar is a talented team with a solid #1 and #2 singles players.  Nick Litsky is legit and a very tricky guy to play, and I think he’s definitely favored against the freshman Masaru Fujimaki of Rochester.  The #2 singles match should be a lot closer, as Daniel Cooper is a lefty with a big forehand, but he is often very inconsistent, though a 3 and 3 win over Kit Sanderson of Skid shows he is certainly playing well at the moment.  On the Yellowjacket side of things, Ian Baranowski at #2 has a ton of experience just like Cooper, but not quite as many weapons.  Evan Udine at #3 for Vassar is a big weak spot, but Juan Felipe Laso at #4 is a great fighter, as is Nick Lee at #6.  Overall, I do think Rochester is a little deeper, with Ben Shapiro, Aaron Mevorach, and Andrew Nunno at #4-6, as they simply have more experience, and they all dominated against Ithaca.  What I’m getting at is that I like Rochester at the bottom, and Vassar at the top, with #2 and #4 singles having the potential to be the best matches.  In doubles, I favor Rochester slightly, as Vassar has traditionally struggled in doubles, and while Rochester has not been all that great (lost 2 of 3 to Ithaca last week), they have more experience and have had more success overall.  I think this will be a terrific match, but I do think the home match will favor Rochester, and I’m going with them by slim margins.

Prediction:  Rochester 5-4 (wins at #2 and #3 doubles, #3, #5, #6 singles)

NYU @ #31 Swarthmore

This is a bit of a tricky match to predict, given that neither team has played a dual match yet this spring, though Swarthmore plays Stevens tomorrow in what should be a great match.  Anyways, NYU is a bit of a team of mystery.  Guys are always going abroad, some guys will go off the team for a semester and then come back, some guys will disappear, and sometimes really talented freshmen or transfers will appear on the roster out of nowhere.  That was the case this year, as junior Umberto Setter, from Switzerland, transferred this year to the Violets from East Tennessee State, and talented freshmen Benedict Teoh came to the Violets from Melbourne, Australia.  While neither one of these guys will dominate at #1, as neither had deep ITA runs, they should certainly help make NYU a much deeper team.  Combined with the other guys in the lineup from last year, Sidd Thangirala, Sam Khoshbin, Matt DeMichiel, and Sammy Aronson, along with freshman Yanik Parsch, NYU should be solid at just about every position in the lineup.  Swarthmore was already very strong at #1-4 singles, and with the addition of freshman Simon Vernier, they should be that much deeper.

In this match, I’m not sure if I favor NYU in any position in the lineup, but I wouldn’t place them as huge underdogs anywhere either.  If NYU takes a doubles lead, they have enough firepower up top, and a bunch of guys who just don’t miss towards the bottom, to make the Garnet awfully tight.  However, because this is a home match for Swarthmore, and given that they will get some experience tomorrow against Stevens, and just because they are an all-around more experienced team, I give the edge to Swarthmore.

Prediction:  Swarthmore 6-3 (wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #1-4 singles)

All right folks, time for another ASouth spring break preview!  CNU starts their break this Saturday, with matches against CMS, Chapman, Cal Lu, and Redlands, a solid assortment of matches.  I’m going to wait on previewing Redlands since it isn’t until 3/4, and I’ll wait to see some of the results to help make an improved incorrect prediction (that was a joke).  Here are previews of their first three matches.

Saturday 2/27

#37 Christopher Newport @ #1 CMS

CMS really showed their depth against Brandeis, dominating pretty much everywhere and winning a super breaker and a third set breaker to preserve the 9-0 win.  CMS does play Point Loma the same day (#26 in D2), so maybe CNU can force a couple third sets or win a match or two if CMS splits their lineup.  However, CMS is just so deep, as they split their lineup against Brandeis and Concordia University Irvine and only lost one match, a doubles match.  CMS will be too much for CNU, especially in their first match out in Cali.

Prediction:  CMS 9-0 (wins at everywhere)

Sunday 2/28

#37 Christopher Newport @ #38 Chapman

This should be a great match between two schools that could not be ranked closer together.  Last year, CNU did not play Chapman on their Cali trip, instead playing Occidental and Whittier, so there is no precedent to how this match should go.  The big question is Chapman’s health.  If Werman and Thompson are healthy, this is a huge boost.  However, as soon as one or both of these guys are out, the momentum shifts heavily to CNU.  Chapman has really struggled with their depth so far this year, especially at #5/6, and I love CNU at those spots.  If Werman and Thompson are both out, I favor CNU at every spot except for #1, where Brett Buford is playing good tennis, and should have a nice match with David Reed.  Doubles is tough to predict as well, given that Werman/Buford are a good #1 team, but without Werman, what does the Panther doubles lineup look like?  I have a ton of questions surrounding the Panthers, but not many for the Captains.  Given that CNU has a match before this one, they’ll be prepared and ready to go, so I have to go with the visiting Captains in a relatively tight one.

Prediction:  6-3 CNU (wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #2, #4-6 singles)

Tuesday 3/1

#37 Christopher Newport @ #34 Cal Lutheran

After a day off, the Captains will head out to Cal Lu to take on the Kingsmen, and I feel pretty much the same way about this match as I do for the W&L @ Cal Lu match this coming Thursday, so I won’t go into quite as much detail here.  I do think CNU overall is a more solid team at just about every position, though not by a ton.  If Cal Lu were better at doubles, I do think they could grind out 2 singles matches, and we’ll know about how their doubles has improved after the W&L match, but after a sweep by Whittier, I have to favor the solid CNU team.  Cal Lu will continue to fight until the end, but I think CNU will grab five matches before that happens.

Prediction:  6-3 CNU (wins at #1 and #3 doubles, #2, #4, #5, #6 singles)

Friday 3/4

#37 Christopher Newport @ #15 Redlands

Again, I’m going to wait on this one until next week’s article, so I can see some more results.  Redlands plays Washington & Lee and Bates both before CNU, so it will be good to see some more doubles results from them, as well as how CNU does against Chapman and Cal Lu.

Well, that’s all I had this week!  I’m going to try to get these articles out every Wednesday, so keep your eye out for more Regional Roundups all season long.  D3Regional out.