Ok gents, it’s already Thursday and West and I are both busy people. He is out saving the world and I am out playing golf. Those seem pretty comparable right? Anyways, both Wash U and Gustavus seem to take some random trips each year and Texas is a good destination to get some great matches. With Tyler jumping a bit in the power rankings and of course Trinity, there is plenty of good competition to be played. I believe Whitman is also headed that way in a couple of weeks which should be more great tennis. Because time is of the essence, I thought I would give a quick preview of each match. This isn’t going to be a complete breakdown of who plays who because I only have an hour in between tee times, but a simple analysis of what I expect to happen. Here we go!
Gustavus vs. Trinity
This match is actually occurring in an hour or so. Gustavus continues to be one of those teams that competes really well against everyone, but can’t quite get over the hump in terms of getting the win. I expect much of the same against the Tigers. Doubles should be great down the line as both teams are very solid. This is one of those days where either team is capable of a sweep and Gustavus will need it to pull off the major upset. The top tandem of Al-Houni and Saenz vs. Krull and Tyer should be a fantastic match and I put that one as a toss up. I am going to give Trinity a 2-1 lead giving them a bit of home court advantage heading into singles. Al-Houni will look to get another big national level win against Deuel and I am going to say he will do it building off his recent win over Krimbill. Trinity has shown some weakness in the middle of the lineup as well so I expect GAC to get a win at either 3 or 4 to make this match end with a 6-3 score in favor of Trinity.
Gustavus vs. Wash U
Now this is an interesting match that could have upset written all over it. Wash U has mixed up their doubles lineup searching for a combination that will work. That leaves them a bit susceptible for something crazy like a sweep to happen. Wash U hasn’t played many matches as of late and that also has me concerned. Bush hasn’t played in like a month so I don’t know if he is injured or just hasn’t been needed. The rumor mill has me hearing that Carswell is back playing #1 which hopefully is a good thing. If Gustavus takes a 2-1 lead after doubles which I expect they will, things potentially could get interesting. I would favor Gustauvs and Al-Houni at #1. Until Carswell shows his form is like it was 2 years ago, I have no reason to hold a lot of faith in him. Bush, Wu, and Kratky should clean up at 2, 3, and 4 which will be needed. If Gustavus steals one of those spots, then Wash U will be in a very dangerous spot. At 5 and 6, Wash U has shown quite a bit of weakness and Jason Haugen still has yet to really feature. Jake Klein will likely slot at 5 and 6 is up in the air, but the Bears will need both spots to pull out this win. Wash U has more talent at these positions, but they haven’t produced. It should be a tight match, but I am going to go with Wash U winning 5-4. This is Gustavus’s chance to pull off a massive win.
Gustavus vs. Texas Tyler
As if the Wash U match wasn’t going to be tough, this match is another dangerous one, but going the other way. Gustavus needs to beware of Tyler as they have some talent and are hungry for a premier win. They were a bit disappointing at Stag Hen in my opinion, but this is another opportunity. The two met at Stage Hen and Gustavus squeaked out a 5-4 win. If you look at the box score for the match, Tyler had plenty of opportunities to finish them off. http://cdn.streamlinetechnologies.com/uttylerpatriots/3D133241-DBF7-47C8-9F09-A085F0F04CB7/MTN_Gustavus%20Adolphus.pdf This time around, I think Tyler will do it. The last match was a pretty epic win by Gustavus winning all four of the matches that went three sets. I didn’t realize that at the time and only was reminded when I looked it up. I am not sure Tyler will take a 2-1 lead again, but if they do, I am going to say they get the win they crave. 5-4 Texas Tyler as they reverse one of the 3 setters they lost in the previous meeting. It also goes to note that this will be Gustavus’s third big match in as many days.
Wash U vs. Trinity
Another rematch is on the books as these two met at Indoors early in the season. It will feature many different match-ups as the Wash U lineup will not at all look the same as it did. The switches should help Wash U get a bit closer, but overall I can’t see the Bears getting 5 points to get a win. Trinity swept the first time around and predicting that to happen again is tough. Doubles is too tough to predict, but I do expect Trinity to lead at least 2-1. Trinity is just better at the top with Deuel and Krull and Wash U will be the better team at 3 and 4 with some combination of Bush/Wu/Kratky. That makes things come down to the back end of the lineup once again Mayer and Niess are battle tested and whomever Wash U throws out there hasn’t proven themselves yet this season. For fun, I am going to say Wash U steals one of the matches and this one ends 5-4 Trinity, but I think the match will be decided long before it gets to the last match on the court.
Wash U vs. Tyler
As for the last match, the Bears face the Patriots and I am tired of typing and running out of time to finish this. Tyler will take a 2-1 lead as the Bears are working through doubles issues, but Wash U will get wins at 2, 3, 4, and 6 to complete the comeback getting a 5-4 win.
What a weekend it should be! I have predicted four of the five matches to end 5-4 which is a bit nuts. Will that happen or am I just giving a bit of drama to the whole story? Probably more the latter than the former, but hey that’s what makes these things fun to read right? My apologies if this has spelling, grammatical, or statistical errors as I was unable to spend any time on proofing this. Feel free to call me out in the comments section as it only gives me a laugh.