2017 Season Preview: Whittier

The newbie D3Westv2 is showing his SCIAC chops again with a Whittier season preview, which concludes our West region coverage in terms of season preview. We have our first big West region matches of the year this weekend, so look out for a Spring Break Walla Walla preview!

Coach: Quinn Calderon, 2nd Season

Location: Whittier, California

ITA Ranking: N/A

Blog Power Ranking: N/A

Twitter: @whittiertennis (good score updates, generally active)

Overview: Ladies and Gentlemen, today I’ll be covering the self-proclaimed oldest team in D3 tennis, Whittier (https://twitter.com/whittiertennis/status/809249119470370816). It was not long ago that the Poets finished top-20 in the country a couple times in a rown, and then subsequently dropped out of the rankings picture year, never to return again. Last year, Whittier went 7-13 (0-10 against ranked competition) but finished 4th in the SCIAC after coming back from 2-4 down to Cal Tech in the first round. They graduate/lost 3 singles starters which will make their journey back to the national rankings much more perilous; however, the Poets have added seven new players (including twins!), and despite a disappointing fall ITA, I think they have a reasonable shot at repeating their 4th place SCIAC finish. Although they were unable to schedule 10 ranked matches again like last year. they will have 6 other opportunities to pick up a win over a ranked team this season…more on that later.

Key Additions: Thomas Koszowski (#492), Maxwell Koszowski (#749), Christian Palacios, Elmer Van Butselaar, Hunter Kettering, and two mystery players*

*I’m seeing a trend of unupdated rosters in the SCIAC, thanks Cal Lu for the lineup feedback

Key Departures: Sam Farmer (#2 Singles), David Stanko (#4 Singles), Tyler Linscott (#4 Singles)

To those unfamiliar with the SCIAC, Linscott isn’t a loss due to graduation, but rather a loss resulting from a savage move from Ben Belletto by getting Linscott to follow him from Whittier to Linfield.

Lineup Prediction:

1. Andrew You (Sr.) UTR 11.50: I’m going to totally overlook You’s performance in the fall ITA and point out wins over Chad Stone, Joey Dulle, and Alex Brenner from last season. Andrew plays BIG tennis, but he is a little bit of a head case at times. If I was a betting man (I am), I would bet he beats who he is supposed to beat with an exception or two, and picks up a couple underdog wins over the course of the season.

2. Elmer Van Butselaar (Fr.******) UTR 10.96: I don’t think I can say anything better than what was said in this spotlight of the 37 year old freshman: (http://occpirateathletics.com/spotlight/Elmer_van_Butselaar). Hard to tell what the Poets will get from him based on the fall ITA, but I do not think he is an upgrade to Farmer from last year. In my opinion, #2 singles is one of the most difficult positions to play in the lineup and I’m excited to see if Elmer can hold his own.

3. Thomas Koszowski (Fr.) UTR 10.09: I’m pretty optimistic on Koszowski at #3 despite his inexperience. In the ITA he was the only Poet to win a main draw match when he took down Derik Nguyen of Cal Tech (last year #4 singles), and won his second round consolation match against Ransom Braaten (Cal Lu projected #1) in a ten-pointer. Nothing else to say; let’s see if the freshman can make a statement this year.

4. Sean Jardinico (Jr.) UTR 10.42: Last year Jardinico went 4-10 at #3 singles, with no notable wins. He did not play in the ITA which I hope means he was abroad, because Whittier will need him at least for depth at the bottom of the lineup.

5. Troy Chavez (Sr.) UTR 9.82: Troy is a fiery senior that will be important for the chemistry in this team. He also did not play in the ITA so I have nothing to go off of from the Fall, but last year he went 6-8 with one notable win over Chapman that helped the Poets win 6-3 in the regular season. Three years of lineup experience is not something to quickly overlook, and Troy should be able to hang tough at the bottom of the lineup.

6. Hunter Kettering (Fr.) (UTR 9.53): Another newcomer projected into the lineup! Hunter got smoked by Rohan Shankar (CMS bench) in the ITA, then beat Morgan Lebby (Cal Tech bench) in a tight ten-pointer in consolation – two very different opponents with polarizing results. It seems as though he used some eligibility at Chabot community college, so I would give him a leg up for the last singles spot on the other Koszowski and Palacios solely based on experience.

In the mix: Maxwell Koszowski (UTR 8.93), Christian Palacios (UTR 9.68 (47% reliability)

Schedule Analysis: 

Whittier kicks of their season on February 10th and 11th against non-d3 competition, before they have their first opportunity to contend for a national ranking against No. 30 Brandeis. Based on Brandeis’ performance in the fall I think this match is a little too far out of reach for the Poets. Their next division 3 match is against Cal Lu which will be important for SCIAC seeding, and I’m sure the veterans on the team will be itching to avenge last season’s 5-4 loss. A week later, Whittier has their most difficult stretch of the season with 7 matches in 9 days against Haverford, Carnegie Mellon, Southwestern (Tx.), Hardin-Simmons, Trinity (Ct.), Vassar, and Wheaton (Mass.). I’m most excited about the match against Trinity because it is a must-win match for the Bantams and I think Whittier can hang tough and keep this one interesting. The Vassar match has been split the last two years with Whittier winning 6-3 last season, but falling 2-7 the season before. I don’t know much about this year’s Vassar team but I imagine this match will be close based on the history.

After a match with Salisbury (should win), Whittier closes its season against the remaining 6 teams in their conference. I cannot imagine the Poets winning against the nationally ranked SCIAC teams, but I am obliged to reference Whittier’s upset win over Redlands in the 2013-2014 post-season. Whittier went 3-1 against Cal Tech competition in the fall ITA, but I assume some of these were mismatches relative to lineup position, and this should be a very close match. Chapman will certainly challenge the Poets as well, but Whittier should not have a problem handling Occidental. Finally, they will travel to the beautiful Ojai tournament and compete in the SCIAC tournament to defend (or better) their 4th place finish from last season.

Conclusion: Whittier has a tough road to the national rankings, but not an impossible one. I actually think the schedule that coach Calderon is excellent with a great mix of competition. If this team stays focused and beats the teams they are supposed to beat and get an upset or two, they could be teetering on the edge of the national rankings.