Mid-Season Regional Roundup!

D3AS is mad at me because I didn’t release a regional roundup last week, so in an effort to regain his faith, I’m switching up the format a little to more effectively recap the past couple weeks for each of my teams.  My plan is to go team by team, recap the past couple of weeks and the season thus far, and then look into the future.  Time to round ‘em up.  Here we go!

#20 W&L: 

Last two weeks: def. Mary Washington 5-4, Shenandoah 9-0, and Roanoke 8-1

The Generals are taking care of business in conference as usual, but the big update from the past two weeks has to be the 5-4 win over Mary Washington.  The Eagles have struggled mightily since that match, but this was still a terrific result for a gritty W&L team.  The Generals actually fell behind in doubles in this match, but took 4 of 6 singles matches for the thrilling victory.  The #5 singles match finished with Will Bannister taking out Matt Miles of UMW 7-6 (12) in the third.  That’s right, the Generals clinched the match with a 14-12 third set tiebreaker!!!  That is absolutely insane, and good on Bannister to pull it out.  Michael Holt (ACL) and Jordan Krasner (appendectomy), the #1-2 singles guys, will both be missing some time unfortunately, but the Generals absolutely deserve their fresh #20 ranking after this win.

What’s to come:

The Generals will take on Swarthmore this Saturday without their top two singles players.  With both of these guys, I would have predicted a very close match, but unfortunately without them, the match has to shift Swarthmore’s way.  Swat is coming off of a 7-2 loss to Bates, but I just think they will be too strong at #1-4 in the singles lineup with everyone at W&L playing up two spots.  6-3 Swarthmore.

#28 Brandeis:

Last two weeks: loss to Stevens 5-4, def. NYU and Rochester 7-2

The Judges took a little mid-Atlantic trip a couple weeks back, and started off with a 5-4 loss to Stevens, with Michael Arguello falling to Charles Drake 7-6 in the third to lose the match.  The Judges rebounded well with 7-2 wins over both NYU and Rochester, essentially locking them in to the #6 seed at the UAA tournament. While the Judges’ doubles lineup has been pretty consistent, their singles lineup has actually switched around a bit.  Ryan Bunis has been killing it, with straight set wins against Stevens (#3), NYU (#2), and Rochester (#1) and is now the top Judge, with Brian Granoff at #2 and Michael Arguello at #3.  Danny Lubarsky is back in there in singles at #5, with freshmen Tyler Ng and Zach Cihlar coming in at #4 and #6.  Deis has been a little iffy in doubles as of late, but their singles against both NYU and Rochester looked pretty solid.  It will be interesting to see how Bunis fairs at #1, but Granoff at #2 and Arguello at #3 are definitely strong options.  The back of the Judges lineup has actually looked really good, with the #4-6 guys going a combined 8-1 against Stevens, Rochester, and NYU.  This will be tougher to maintain against higher ranked competition, but the Judges look to be on the right track.

What’s to come:

The Judges will host Wheaton College this Friday, where former assistant coach Pauri Pandian will be returning to his old roots.  Wheaton has actually looked pretty decent this year, with a 7-2 win over Occidental and a 5-4 win over St. Lawrence.  They did lose 6-3 to a pretty good Salisbury team, and Brandeis will likely be too deep for Coach Pandian’s squad.  8-1 Brandeis

The Judges will then head to New London, CT on Saturday to take on the Coast Guard academy.  The CGA actually has a 5-4 win against Vassar to their credit from this fall, though they also lost 8-1 to Trinity CT.  The Coast Guard won down at the bottom of the lineup against Vassar, but I can’t see this happening against a deep Brandeis team.  7-2 Brandeis

#29 CNU:

Last two weeks: def. Frostburg State, Southern Virginia, and St. Mary’s College of MD 6-0, 9-0, and 6-0

Despite my lack of regional roundups, I haven’t really missed much with the Captains as they’ve been busy dominating the CAC.  The real opportunity will be on 4/9 against Mary Washington, but CNU is clearly avoiding any potential slip ups.  David Reed and Justin Cerny have turned into a really nice #1-2 combo for the Captains, and while I’m not completely sold on the #3-5 range, I really like the way Arttu Fiva is playing at #6, and Steven Boslet, Chiraag Shetty, and Nick Ruzicka are certainly very solid players.  Not a whole lot to report on the Captains except the fact that they haven’t lost a single match since 3/5 against Wabash, who they dominated in a 7-2 to match where all the matches the Captains won were not close at all.

What’s to come:

The Captains will head to Baltimore to take on Johns Hopkins this weekend.  With the Hopkins vs. Bates match getting cancelled, the only test for Hop so far this year has been a 6-3 win over W&L where they sat Buxbaum and Dubin in singles.  If Hopkins sweeps doubles again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do the same thing.  CNU has done well in doubles against teams outside the top 30 (swept Cal Lu, 2 of 3 against Chapman, 2 of 3 against Wabash), but they have struggled against teams inside, losing 2 of 3 to W&L and 2 of 3 to Redlands.  They will definitely have to raise their doubles game for this match if they hope to win.  Although we have seen basically nothing from the Jays this year, I think they are just better than CNU at just about every spot.  Bux is more accomplished than Reed up top, and while Cerny and Dubin could be a good match, Hopkins looks to just be deeper at every other spot.  Hopkins 7-2

#36 Coe:

Last two weeks: def. Rochester 5-4, def. Wheaton (IL) 6-3

It’s been a while since I’ve thought about the Kohawks, and although they haven’t played in a couple weeks, they’ve already played 16 matches on the season, with a 14-2 record.  It always amazes me how many matches Coe can fit in a season compared to some of the northeast schools.  Although their match against Rochester was back on 3/8, I’m including it here just to give me something to talk about!  Coe took that match 5-4 after sweeping doubles, though Rochester did win three of their four singles matches in close super breakers, so who knows how those third sets would have gone.  Coe played great doubles in that match, and Riley Galbraith (#2) and Ryan Hickman (#4) cruised to easy victories for the five points needed to win a college tennis match.  While Coe has a well-deserved break now, they’ve had a much longer season than most teams and they have done well to come through it without losing to a team ranked below them.

What’s to come:

Coe will take on the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology this Saturday.  I don’t know what or where that is.  The weekend of 4/9 will be a great test for them, as they’ll take on Case Western on 4/9 and DePauw on 4/10.  While I don’t think Coe has enough firepower for Case, DePauw is a team that is certainly beatable.  Although they played well in a 5-4 loss to Whitewater, Coe can definitely put a scare into the Tigers with some good doubles play.

#37 TCNJ:

Last two weeks:

The Lions have not played a match since 3/5, when they took out a pesky Haverford team 6-3.  Compared to 16 matches for Coe, TCNJ has played just 4, with the best match being a 5-4 win against RPI.  Not a whole lot to recap for the Lions.

What’s to come:

Next Wednesday 3/29, the Lions will take on NYU in what should be a really good match.  NYU will be itching for a nationally ranked win to get into the rankings after losses to Swarthmore, Skidmore, and Brandeis, and TCNJ is definitely the best opportunity on the Violets’ short schedule.  This is probably the best regional match of the week, although I’m only on the #37 ranked team so I don’t yet know what’s in store for the other teams.  NYU is awfully streaky at doubles, and while TCNJ lost 2 of 3 to RPI, one match certainly is not a good representation of if a team is any good at doubles or not.  Both teams will certainly be fresh, even though TCNJ plays the day before against Muhlenberg.  I think TCNJ is the deeper team in singles, but I like NYU at spots #1 (Benedict Teoh) and #4 (Matt DeMichiel).  #2 and #3 are the swing spots, where Sidd Thangirala and Sam Khoshbin have been streaky at best for the Violets, and Mitchel Sanders and Jack August struggled a bit against RPI (though August came back and won in 3 sets).  There’s not a lot of data to go off of with these two teams, but I think NYU comes into this match ripping the ball as they look for that nationally ranked win.  NYU 5-4

#38 Kalamazoo:

Last two weeks: def. Ogelthorpe 7-2, loss to Emory 6-3

I’m not sure if I’ve written about KZoo this year, but they have been playing some good tennis, so here we go.  The Hornets have had two heartbreakers already this year, as they’ve lost 5-4 to both Whitewater and Denison.  They then took care of business against Ogelthorpe in a 7-2 win, and then lost 6-3 to Emory in a match where Coach Browning sat Rafe and Jemison in singles after sweeping doubles.  I would have loved to have seen Branden Metzler vs. Rafe but oh well!  The Hornets are an experienced group with only one freshman (Allen Vinson) currently in the singles lineup, and they have competed very well against higher ranked teams.

What’s to come:

Kalamazoo will take on Wabash this Saturday at Wabash.  While Wabash is a tricky opponent, they have struggled a bit with losses to Cal Tech and George Fox.  I think Kalamzoo can dominate the matches at the top of the lineup, and while I don’t think they will crush Wabash, I do think they’ll win fairly comfortably.  7-2 Kalamazoo

#39 Pacific (OR):

Last two weeks: def. L&C 6-3, Cal Lu 8-1, Occidental 8-1, Cal Tech 5-0, and Colby 6-3

Pacific has flown under the radar this year, but they are definitely playing well right now.  They just wrapped up an undefeated spring break, and while I wish they could have scheduled a team ranked above them, they took care of business against all of their opponents.  The match vs. Colby was a great opportunity for the Mules, but the Boxers played an excellent match.  They took two of three doubles and won easily at #3, #5, and #6 singles for the win (Clark Wininger def. Murad in a super at #2).  I know Colby was dealing with some injuries, but nothing should be taken away from Pacific as they did a great job to protect their national ranking.  Unfortunately, the only ranked team that they play this year besides Whitman was their first match of the year, a 7-2 loss to Denison, so it will be difficult for Pacific to rise much higher than #39 in the rankings.  I’d love to see them take on a team like Coe to have the chance to move up to #35/#36.  I wish the blog had a budget.  I’d love to fly these teams to my backyard and watch them play each other.

What’s to come:

The Boxers have this weekend off, and will take on Whitman and Pacific Lutheran next weekend.  I’ll get a preview of the Whitman match out in next week’s roundup.  Even though Whitman has faltered a bit, they are still heavy favorites against the Boxers.

#40 Ogelthorpe:

Last two weeks: loss to Kalamazoo 7-2

What is a Petrel?  Sources are telling me it’s a type of bird.  Anyway, the Petrels are kind of in the rankings by default, as Cal Tech hasn’t had a good win since beating Cal Lu, and no other team has come close to a nationally ranked win.  Ogelthorpe has come the closest with their 5-4 loss to Coe, and therefore, they crack the rankings.  For the Petrels, CJ Antonio at #1 is clearly the guy to watch, as the senior has had a terrific career and is fighting for a singles birth at NCAAs right now.  His best chance is to win all of his matches the rest of the year, except for Emory.  If he defeats Avery Schober of Sewanee, I think he deserves a shot.

What’s to come:

The Petrels will host Berry College this weekend.  Their conference, the SAA, is relatively weak, and Ogelthorpe is likely the #2 team behind Sewanee, who they won’t face until 4/16.

MIT:

Last two weeks: def. Colby 7-2

MIT is a team that is definitely talented enough to be ranked in the top 30, but they just haven’t had enough chances to prove it this year.  They took care of business against Colby, winning 2 of 3 doubles and taking #2-6 singles.  Tyler Barr and Sean Ko won both their singles matches against Bates and Colby, but Bates won 4 of 6 singles, showing that MIT still has a ways to go to be a top 25 team.  They only have two more ranked matches the rest of the way, against Brandeis and Tufts.  If they want to make it in the national rankings, they’ll likely have to win one of those.  They have enough talent to compete with a school like Brandeis, but MIT always has questions about their motivation and how much they want to win.  Brandeis always comes out battling, and MIT will have to grind all day to get the win.  This match also isn’t for another month, and a lot can change between now and then.

What’s to come:

MIT has nothing this weekend, but will play an exhibition next weekend at Loughborough University.  This sounded British to me, and it is indeed in England.  I for one am very confused.  We’ve gotten Cali trips, mid-west trips, even northeast trips, but an overseas trip?!  Who knows.

NYU:

Last two weeks: def. Hobart 7-2, loss to Brandeis 7-2

As I mentioned several paragraphs ago, NYU fell 7-2 to Deis.  After losing 2 of 3 doubles, NYU lost at #2-6 singles for the win.  Benedict Teoh had a good win over Brian Granoff, 12-10 in the super, but Brandeis won easily at #3, #5 and #6, and Ryan Bunis took out Sidd Thangirala in straights at #2 as well.  NYU played Brandeis fairly tight in the doubles, but they struggled with their depth in singles.  I’m not sure what’s up with the transfer Umberto Setter, but he would certainly help make their lineup much deeper.  Without him, NYU is more or less the same team as last year, when they had CJ Leong at #2.  The Violets are talented singles players, but often get out-grinded by teams ranked above them.  With the loss to Brandeis, NYU will be the 7 or 8 seed at UAAs.  They will play Rochester on 4/16 to more or less decide that.

What’s to come:

NYU takes on TCNJ next Wednesday 3/30.  I’ve already previewed it up above, and I like NYU to pull the mini upset 5-4.  NYU will also play Case Western, Oberlin, Coast Guard, Stevens, and Rochester before UAAs towards the end of April.  NYU doesn’t play too many matches, but they do have several good opportunites.

Cal Tech:

Last two weeks: def. St. Lawrence 5-4, loss to Pacific 5-0

Cal Tech fell out of the national rankings this past week, but I happen to love the Beavers Twitter game, so I wanted to do a quick write-up.  Tech was swept in doubles by Pacific, and quickly lost at #2 and #3 to fall 5-0.  I’m not sure how the Beavers were doing in the other matches when the match was called, but Pacific won this match fairly easily.  Cal Tech did rally to get a win over NE-squad St. Lawrence.  Tech lost at #1-3 singles, but showed their depth by taking #4-6.  With the loss to Pacific, I don’t have Cal Tech as a ranked team, but they are certainly in that next echelon of teams.

What’s to come:

Tech is taking a Texas trip this weekend.  They played Texas Lutheran this morning, and will also take on LeTourneau and UT-Tyler.  UT-Tyler is a great chance to play another ranked team, though the Beavers will be big underdogs.

Phew!  That’s it!  I know I didn’t get to every team under the sun, but we do what we can over at the blog.  Like I highlighted up above, the biggest matches this coming week are W&L v. Swat, CNU v. Hopkins, and NYU v. TCNJ.  And the Engineers might be in England?!  I don’t even know anymore.  I’m tired.  I’m D3Regional.  And I’m out!

Quick edit:  After checking the MIT schedule again this morning (because who doesn’t check college tennis schedules on a daily basis?!), I realized my brain didn’t register the bold text, and it looks like Loughborough is actually making the trip across the pond to MIT.  I was really tired when I finished the roundup.  Okay now I’m out.  Have a great weekend everyone!