This is my week to shine. I, ASouth, am back to my binging ways and am getting articles out by the dozen here in UAA Week. If only my counterparts could match my enthusiasm in the Blogger Group Text (copyrighted). Coming off the heels of the Ridiculously Dope UAA Preview, we’re here to get you the general preview of what to expect on Day 1 of the UAA Tournament. If you are here for a Case/CMU preview, good, because it’s at the end of the article. It has a lot of history. It has a lot of spunk. And it precludes the biggest match of the year to date. Shout-out to Jersey Mike’s. Maybe they’re sponsoring the Blog this week. Let’s get to the previews. All matches are at 9AM tomorrow. We’ll see you there on twitter.
#1 Emory vs. #8 NYU
This match is going to be a very lopsided one no matter what way you spin it. I’m sure D3Regional would agree with me considering Emory is the best team in the nation right now and NYU, well, is not. I don’t see many spots where NYU can really challenge Emory. Usually when an underdog plays a top ranked team, you’ll see some top spots go either way. Thing is, Rafe and Jemison are at the top and that’s a recipe for disaster for the Violets. Watch for Browning to potentially rest some players after a doubles sweep to save their legs for later matches. These are the benefits of being a #1 seed.
AS: Emory, 9-0
#2 Chicago vs. #7 Rochester
This looks to be another lopsided battle as Chicago is in a different class than Rochester. Again, Regional would probably have more information as to who would be the most competitive against the Maroons. I could potentially see the top spot or maybe the #3 spot being competitive as well as a few doubles matches, but this one won’t be in jeopardy from the start. Interesting things to watch are the lineup that Coach Tee comes out with as it seems as if he’s set himself on Chua/DLiu/Pei/Kranz/Leung/Tsai or something of the sort, but don’t be surprised to see a different lineup for this one, again to save some legs. Chicago was drinking pickle juice all tournament last year and any rest they can get is valuable.
AS: Chicago, 8-1 (Rochester wins a doubles match)
#3 Wash U vs. #6 Brandeis
D3Regional:
I bet Coach Lamanna assumed his boys would be taken on Case this Thursday, but surprisingly, they will face off against the Wash U Bears in what should be the second best first round match (not really saying that much). Wash U has had quite the interesting year, starting off slow at indoors, picking it up against GAC, Trin, and Case, and recently barely getting UW-Whitewater and Coe by 5-4 margins. Brandeis has had an intriguing year as well, with a great win over Bates and a 5-4 loss to Tufts coming down to the final set. They lost to Trinity CT this past weekend, certainly their worst loss of the year. Match by match breakdown:
#1 Doubles: John Carswell/Josh Cogan vs. Jeff Cherkin/Michael Arguello – Both of these teams have been streaky this year. Carswell/Cogan started playing in mid-March and started out hot, but then lost three straight to Case, Chicago, and Whitewater. Cherkin/Arguello are capable of playing some awesome tennis, but are also very inconsistent, as they have wins over Tufts and Redlands, but also losses to Bates, Babson, and Trinity CT. I think Wash U is a more solid team in this match up. Wash U 8-4
#2 Doubles: Konrad Kozlowski/Jason Haugen vs. Danny Lubarsky/Jackson Kogan – Koz/Haugen have been really good this year with wins over Case, Tyler, Trin TX, GAC, DePauw, and more, but they are coming off a tough loss to Coe. Lubarsky/Kogan are a powerful team with a ton of firepower, with a solid resume to boot, notching wins against Bowdoin, Tufts, Vassar, and Redlands. I think Lubarsky comes out very fired up in his last UAA tournament and propels Deis to the win. Brandeis 8-6
#3 Doubles: Jeremy Bush/Tyler Kratky vs. Brian Granoff/Eric Goldberg – Bush/Kratky started playing together after indoors, and after a first loss to DePauw, they have been really solid pretty much all year. Granoff/Goldberg had a terrific stretch of six straight wins at 3rd dubs, but they’ve lost there straight against Tufts, Bowdoin, and Trin CT. Goldberg’s volleys and serve combined with Granoff’s consistency makes for a great team, but I think Bush/Kratky’s experience will just be too much in this one. Wash U will just be too solid. Wash U 8-5
#1 Singles: John Carswell vs. Ryan Bunis – Carswell has lost six straight matches at #1, some of them being incredibly close three setters and others being blowouts. Bunis has competed very well moving into the #1 spot, but he’s lost a lot of close matches, including a three set loss to Rex Glickman this past weekend. If Bunis is striking the ball well, I think this has the potential to be a terrific match. Carswell should be the favorite, but I’m actually going to pick Bunis with the upset in the hot Florida sun. However, I think he will run short on time, and this win will be in a super breaker. Brandeis 2-6, 6-4, 10-5
#2 Singles: Johnny Wu vs. Brian Granoff – Wu has been balling again this year, as he currently has a nice five match winning streak all against ranked teams. Granoff had a nice streth in the middle of the season, but he’s coming off a very tough loss to Ford Traff of Trinity CT. These guys are going to have such long points, but I think Wu’s ability to play offense will help him out. Wash U 7-5 6-3
#3 Singles: Tyler Kratky vs. Michael Arguello – Both of these guys are two of the better #3’s out there, and this should be a grind between two experienced guys. Kratky has stepped it up after a difficult start with wins against Case, Tyler, Trinity TX, and GAC. Arguello has certainly been no slouch himself, as he has a 6-1 record in his last 7 with wins against Bates, Bowdoin, and Trin CT. This match will be Kratky’s consistency against Arguello’s laser show groundies, and in the Florida sun, I’ll take consistency. Wash U 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
#4 Singles: Jeremy Bush vs. Tyler Ng – Ng has had a great freshman year for Brandeis. After starting at #6, he’s moved up the ladder to #4 with win after win. He’s a great grinder, and after losing to Tufts and Bowdoin, he got back on the winning side of things with a win over Aaron Segal of Trin. Jeremy Bush has moved the opposite way down to #4, and he also only has nine matches under his belt this year after missing the entire month of March. Bush certainly has the experience, but sometimes, less experience can actually help guys play looser. I think Ng gets his best win of the season right here. Brandeis 7-5 7-5
#5 Singles: Jason Haugen vs. Danny Lubarsky – Danny has sat out a lot of singles matches this year due to injury, but when he has played, he’s been up and down, winning the matches against unranked schools, but also recently losing two tough three-setters to Bates and Tufts. Haugen is also new to the lineup this year, but he’s played well, with his only losses being long three setters to Whitewater and Chicago. Lubarsky has a big game so he shouldn’t be counted out, but I think Haugen is more solid. Wash U 6-4 6-2
#6 Singles: Jake Klein vs. Jackson Kogan – Klein has struggled against the top ranked schools this year, but against teams in the 15-30 range, he’s been money, winning against Whitewater, Coe, Tyler, and DePauw all in straights. Kogan has a big game that could and should eventually make him a great starter for Brandeis, but right now, he just needs more experience and matches to get better at grinding. Kogan’s game is big enough to beat just about anybody, but the consistency is not there right now. Wash U 6-3 6-1
Add those up and you’ve got a 6-3 Wash U win! I think Wash U has a big advantage at #5 and #6, but the other matches should all be close.
AS: Wash U, 6-3
THE MAIN EVENT
#4 Case Western vs. #5 CMU
ASouth: I am absolutely amped for this match as it basically determines if I am an Emory fan the rest of the year or simply an Emory fan with a mild rooting for CMU in the tournament. Again, if you don’t know the implications from this match, you haven’t read my ridiculously dope UAA Preview. This is a do or die match for both teams (well kinda for Case). The winner is probably in barring some other circumstances and the loser is probably out barring some loss by Williams to a lower ranked team. Let’s break down some CMU/Case history because I believe that this is the second best rivalry in the UAA (shout-out to Greek).
2016: At a surprising Indoors, Case takes out CMU 5-4 in a thriller as Robert Stroup downs Kenny Zheng in a third set for a 5-4 win. This directly affects both team’s seasons and sets them up for another showdown in this year’s UAA Tournament.
2015: In a dual match on the CMU courts, CMU avenges the year prior (more to come) with a dominant 6-3 victory over the Spartans. Abhishek Alla punctuates the win with a straight set romp over the potential best player in the nation, CJ Krimbill.
2014: Prior to NCAAs, CMU travels to Case Western to play a dual match against their rival. Under hostile conditions, Kenny Zheng wins in a second set tiebreaker over senior John Healey to clinch the match, 5-4. CMU came back from a doubles sweep in this one and won three 3-setters at #2, #3, and #4. However, the two are somehow matched up in the best NCAA Sweet 16 match we have seen in a while on the CMU home courts. Despite taking one doubles match this time around, CMU loses two 3-setters at the bottom of the lineup. The final match is of course James Fojtasek vs. Kenny Zheng, where Fojtasek wins 6-2 in the third set. This match is defined by Will Drougas serving underhand the whole match and taking out Christian Heaney-Secord in straight sets at #2 singles. The match ends 5-4 with Case celebrating their first NCAA Elite 8 berth on the CMU home courts.
2013: In the last match of the year, Case faces off against CMU in the 3rd/4th place match at UAAs. In a familiar scenario, the winner gets into NCAAs while the loser does not. With all the pressure on the line, Case comes out and wins 2 of the three doubles and 2 quick singles matches in the middle of the lineup to be 1 point from victory. Behind two 3-set wins from Krimbill and Drougas over CHS and Shek, Case sends the Tartans home from NCAAs once again in a heartbreaker, 6-3.
2012: This year is where the Case/CMU rivalry really heated up, as Case began making their move into the top 15. Again, final match of UAAs in a 3rd/4th place showdown between the two determined if CMU would make it into the NCAA Tournament. Case’s season was already over at this point due to early season losses, however they relished playing spoiler to the team that had always beaten them. CMU took a doubles lead but then was derailed at the bottom of the lineup, Case then took two 3-setters at the top of the lineup, one of them 7-6 in the third, to clinch the match 6-3 and send CMU home packing for the first time in history.
There you have it. These matches have never been greater than 6-3 since 2012 and I don’t expect this one to be any different. This is going to be a helluva match. You already know what’s on the line and the great rivalry, so I’ll just power through the quick matchups before giving my brief thoughts.
#1 Doubles: Krimbill/Stuerke (CWRU) vs. Levine/Arora (CMU) – This match is a very key match for the Spartans as they took this one 8-2 at Indoors. Indoors is where Levine and Arora thrive and you are crazy if you think I’ll bet against two seniors in potentially their last tournament. Case, 8-3
#2 Doubles: Fojtasek/Gruber (CWRU) vs. Chen/Zheng (CMU) – The year that both these teams are having is incredible and this is going to be the swing match in my eyes. Chen has been a revelation for the Tartans at #2 doubles, filling a hole previously open. That team has not lost a match more than 8-6 this year I believe. This one will be no different. Expect this one to go to a breaker and for it to be a coin flip. CMU, 9-8 (6)
#3 Doubles: Benedetto/Zakhodin (CWRU) vs. Alla/Kumar (CMU) – It’s extremely important for #3 CMU team to win this match. They have a talent advantage and have been playing well all year. This team beat the #2 team from Case at Indoors so they should be able to lock up a win if their heads are in it. An all senior team is what I like to see. CMU 8-5
#1 Singles: Krimbill (CWRU) vs. Alla (CMU) – This match is going to be closer than people expect. As you can see from history, this has always been a close match between the two seniors and will be a potential swing match if it gets to it. I predicted Krimbill would go undefeated in the UAA tournament and will stick by that here. Case, 7-5, 7-5
#2 Singles: Fojtasek (CWRU) vs. Levine (CMU) – This is a potentially scary match for the Tartans considering Fojtasek’s experience and Levine’s lack of experience. Playing in the bright lights is something that takes getting used to and Fojtasek has been there before. Levine took James out at Indoors and you have to think Coach Todd will pull something else out of his magic hat. I want to go with the talented Levine here, but my gut tells me Case guts this out in 3. Case 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 (potential decider)
#3 Singles: Stroup (CWRU) vs. Downing (CMU) – Much like I predicted early in the year, Downing has moved up the lineup and is now playing #3 singles. He gets a bit lucky as Stroup has been way up and way down this year so it should be interesting. I think Chaz plays like he has nothing to lose and wins this one in straights. CMU 6-3, 6-4.
#4 Singles: Stuerke (CWRU) vs. Zheng (CMU) – It’s cruel that Kenny Zheng is always included in the final match no matter who CMU plays. I have a bad feeling for him that this is going to be a similar situation. He’s going up against Stuerke, the senior, who will try and win at all costs. Zheng doesn’t have the firepower to blow Stuerke off the court and this one is probably going 3. For the deciding match, Stuerke takes out Zheng, sending Case into a frenzy. Case 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
#5 Singles: Dong (CWRU) vs. Arora (CMU) – Arora has not had a great year on the singles court despite being as high as #3 singles for some of the year. Now he gets a tough grinder in the Orlando sun. Dong is never a fun person to play against and he will tire the freshman down in the clutch. Case 7-5, 6-1
#6 Singles: Dughi (CWRU) vs. Wadwani (CMU) – An interesting matchup between two grinders and very fit players. Downing smoked Dughi last time out but Wadwani is a way different player. This might be the last match to finish despite only going two sets. I like the man Wadwani but this one will be close. CMU 6-3, 7-6.
Overall, every singles match will probably be really close. The team that gets the most easy wins will allow their players to loosen up as much as they can, which will be important. I think Case will be the winner here based on history but this is a toss-up if I’ve ever seen one. I would love to give my region team the victory here but there’s this part of me that just doesn’t believe. That being said, who am I to say who will show up tomorrow. Anyways, this seems like a good way to end this UAA Preview article. ASouth, OUT.
Much love to D3Regional