Psssst, hey you over there, remember Tufts? Yeah, Tufts. The team that both lost to MIT and beat Bowdoin in the span of about 48 hours at the end of last year? Well they’re playing tennis again for the first time in 2017. I know right, who knew! Luckily we’ve got you covered, and I’m here to look at Tufts’ spring break. This week, the Jumbos have already beaten Point Loma, The College of the Desert, and most recently an absolute thumping of UW-Whitewater. Now, none of these matches really give us a true feel for exactly where Tufts is this spring. They graduated a bunch of starters, but they are also quite deep and very well coached. However, UWW was recently beaten soundly by GAC and just dropped a tight 5-4 match to Whittier. Not taking away anything from the resounding 9-0 beatdown Tufts gave them yesterday (seriously, only one spot out of nine lost more than four games), but we should have a much better idea about how good Tufts is after their next couple days. Here is the rest of the Jumbos’ spring break schedule, and note the particular capitalized importance of the final matchup. Finally, D3AS would end me if I didn’t bring this up, but here’s hoping that the guys continue their trend of Spring Break music videos! Shape of You?
#20 Tufts vs #4 Chicago, Tuesday @ 12:30 p.m.
Intro: Don’t worry people, I’m not going match-by-match for any of these matchups. We haven’t seen enough out of Tufts yet this year for me to feel comfortable predicting anything that specifically. However, this will be the Jumbos’ 1st big test of 2017. Their top guys played good players at Point Loma, but this is without a doubt the best top-to-bottom team that Tufts has played yet this year (and will play in the month of March).
How Tufts wins/What happens if they do: While this is unlikely, we are talking about the team that beat Bowdoin just before the team went on its historic NCAA title run. Tufts’ doubles can be up and down, but they almost always have at least one team that is playing well. A win over Chicago would likely require a doubles sweep and a couple wins towards the top as Tufts is probably strongest at #1. If this did happen, Tufts would vault into the top-10 and it would really put the UAA at the mercy of the NESCAC when it came to Pool-C.
How Tufts loses/What happens if they do: Chicago will be favored at just about every spot, so this section won’t be very long, but I would be surprised if the Maroons pulled off the 9-0 sweep. If Chicago beats Tufts, nothing really happens that would change the status quo. Hopefully the Jumbos can take some good experience out of the loss if that is indeed the result.
Prediction: Chicago wins an 8-1 match that is closer than the score.
#20 Tufts vs #37 Colby, Wednesday @ 12:00 pm
Intro: For at least the 2nd year in a row Tufts is playing a conference match with Colby directly after playing Chicago. Last year’s 7-2 win for the Bos was not all that interesting, however if the bloggers inclinations about the 2017 teams are correct, this match should be closer than last year.
How Tufts wins/What happens if they do: Tufts is certainly deeper than Colby, and should be favored at 3-6 and at 2-3 doubles, so even if Reid/Murad continue to carry the load for Colby Tufts should have enough firepower to bring home a W. Also, as we’ve seen with teams in the past, it’s nearly impossible to count on two guys to give you three points in every match, and Gupte and Ali are both very solid at their spots. Similar to if Tufts loses to Chicago, if the Bos beat the Mules nothing really changes, it just secures that in the worst case scenario for the Jumbos, they will be playing Bates for the final spot at NESCACs.
How Tufts loses/What happens if they do: In the same way that you can’t count on Reid and Murad to bring home three points, you can’t count of all of the bottom of the Tufts lineup to win. While Coran/Shaff/Niemiec have all looked pretty good so far, we haven’t really seen what any of them will do in a tight match. Chen and Kelly have played #6 so far, but we all know that spot could end up rotating throughout the year, adding extra pressure each time that player steps on the court. Colby wins by taking 2/3 dubs, the top 2 singles, and another singles spot somewhere lower in the lineup. If that happens, Colby would then be in the drivers seat to make NESCACs for the first time in God knows how long, and Tufts would likely be dropped out of the top-30 in the Power Rankings.
Prediction: That last section may have sounded like I’m a believer in the upset, but I don’t actually think it’s going to happen. Colby is headed in the right direction, but I still like Tufts to come away with a 6-3 or 7-2 win.
#20 TUFTS @ #12 POMONA-PITZER, FRIDAY @ 4:00 P.M.
Intro: This is the big one. In the current ITA rankings, Tufts is #14 and PP is #9. Even though we have both teams slightly lower in our Power Rankings, it shouldn’t demean the importance of this matchup. Every time PP or Redlands plays any of the top NESCAC teams, there is a ton on the line for both squads. This matchup will be no different. Last year the Jumbos snuck out of Cali without attacking the coop, but the last time these two teams went to war was 2015 and PP overcame a doubles deficit to win 5-4 including taking both 3-setters. The winners at 5&6 singles for Tufts that day? Rohan Gupte and Zain Ali.
How Tufts wins/What happens if they do: PP’s doubles have been pretty suspect so far this spring, so it’s very reasonable to believe that Tufts can jump out to a doubles lead. If the Bos can accomplish that, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say they can split singles. PP will be favored at #1 with Jake “Goblet of Fire” Yasgoor, but no other PP player has brought home a very consistent string of wins in 2017. If Tufts pulls the upset, it basically knocks PP out of NCAA competition (considering the SageHens already have an L to Redlands, and while they can avenge that later this year they would likely need to beat CMS to overcome the Tufts loss). It would also likely seal the already bleak NCAA hopes of Case Western who has lost twice to PP this year. Tufts would be in a good spot, but it wouldn’t secure anything as they have their entire NESCAC schedule (minus Colby) ahead of them.
How Tufts loses/What happens if they do: While PP’s doubles aren’t the best part of their team, they’re probably about even with Tufts. PP is also stronger than Tufts where Tufts is strongest (top and bottom of the lineup). If PP takes a doubles lead, I think it will be tough for the Bos to take 4 singles spots with ease. If Tufts does fall, we’ll stay closer to the status quo, but it probably means that Tufts would need to do THAT much more with their NESCAC schedule if they were going to accomplish their goals and make NCAAs. For PP, a win over Tufts coupled with a win over Williams on Wednesday (check back tonight for more on that), would put them in a position where if they beat Redlands in the SCIAC semis they will have a decent shot at one of the final Pool-C spots.
Prediction: The Pizzeria does its thing and pulls out a hard-fought 5-4 or 6-3 win.