Hello College Tennis Fans! I hope you have enjoyed following the Northeast women’s teams matches so far. Before I delve into the tennis, I’d like to point out a really important conversation going on on the blog regarding hazing. If you haven’t been following, read this and especially this and this. The bottom line is that there is no excuse for hazing on college sports teams. It does not make teams more tight-knit and it does not make teams compete better; in fact the trauma caused to the individuals on the team make the opposite happen. Please, upperclass players and coaches – if you see hazing you have the responsibility to stand up for those that look up to you. OK, back to the article.
With the release of the new rankings yesterday, I wanted to put out a Northeast Teams State of the Region. The region is particularly strong this year, as 15 of the national top 40 teams are from the Northeast! Furthermore, 8 of the Top 20 teams in the country are from the Northeast, and of those 8, the top 5 are from the NESCAC, which is just insane. As a matter of fact, 8 of the 11 teams in the NESCAC are in the Top 40, That conference tournament is going to be fireworks. I believe that the top 5 NESCAC teams will all make the NCAA Tournament, as they all had good spring break trips and solidified their positions by beating key teams from the UAA and the SCIAC – Williams beat CMS/Chicago, Amherst beat CMU, Tufts/Wesleyan beat Pomona, and Wesleyan beat WashU. Bowdoin had a rough trip but will now play the role of spoiler, which can’t be overlooked. As most teams have finished their Spring Break Trips, I’ll do a review and preview of all 15 of the nationally ranked teams from the northeast region.
#2 Williams
Key Wins:
#8 Amherst 7-2 (Fall)
#17 Skidmore 9-0
#26 Southwestern 9-0
#10 Chicago 9-0
#3 CMS 5-4
Key Losses:
None
Going Forward
The top 5 teams in the NESCAC are incredibly strong this year. Although Williams goes in as a favorite, it’s anyone’s conference tournament to win, especially with two of the top teams (Williams and Middlebury) having new coaches at the helm. It will be a very exciting season to follow. Key remaining matchups for Williams are:
3/30 #7 Pomona (today)
4/7 #5 Middlebury
4/8 #4 Wesleyan
4/14 #8 Amherst
4/15 #29 Trinity(CT)
4/21 #14 Bowdoin
4/28 #6 Tufts
These will all be great matches and seeding for the NESCAC Tournament as well as the tournament itself will be very exciting.
Pool A/Pool C
Williams is the Pool A favorite for the NESCAC, but if not, they will get in through Pool C. As long as Williams does not suffer a loss to Bowdoin, they will get into the NCAA Tournament comfortably.
#4 Wesleyan
Key Wins:
#12 WashU 9-0
#7 Pomona 6-3
#26 Southwestern 9-0
#25 Redlands 8-1
Key Losses:
None
Going Forward
Wesleyan had a strong win against Pomona to propel themselves all the way up to #4 in the rankings. Wesleyan is still a bit of an unknown (other than Eudice!) to me but they seem to be solid at every position. Remaining matches are:
4/8 #2 Williams
4/11 #29 Trinity(CT)
4/14 #8 Tufts
4/18 #28 Bates
4/21 #11 Amherst
4/22 #5 Middlebury
Pool A/Pool C
If not Pool A in the NESCAC, Wesleyan should get in via Pool C. The remaining matches they have against teams that can go either way are against the strongest teams in the region and therefore keep Wesleyan safe from being eliminated from Pool C, even if they lose all of them. They do not play Bowdoin in the regular season this year.
#5 Middlebury
Key Wins:
#6 Tufts 6-3
Key Losses:
None
Going Forward
The early season win against Tufts turned out to be a big one, as this solidifies Middlebury’s place pretty high in the rankings. Since losing to Middlebury, Tufts has done well, with a close 5-4 loss to CMS and a big 5-4 win against Pomona. Middlebury’s remaining matches are:
3/30 #3 CMS (today)
3/31 #7 Pomona
4/7 #2 Williams
4/14 #14 Bowdoin
4/15 #17 Skidmore
4/21 #29 Trinity(CT)
4/22 #4 Wesleyan
4/28 #8 Amherst
Pool A/Pool C
If not Pool A in the NESCAC, Middlebury should get in through Pool C. This is another team that should make the tournament comfortably.
#6 Tufts
Key Wins:
#33 Wellesley 9-0
#32 Whitman 7-2
#7 Pomona 5-4
Key Losses:
#5 Middlebury 6-3
#3 CMS 5-4
Going Forward
The 5-4 win against Pomona was almost a must-win for this team, as they cancelled their match with Chicago due to illness, which was unlucky for Chicago and the UAA. The Jumbos wound up having a strong spring break, but if not for their Pomona win, their other wins are less than spectacular. It looks like there were some major lineup changes since the fall and this team can make a run for the title in the NESCAC Tournament. Their remaining matches are:
3/31 #21 Brandeis
3/31 #28 Bates
4/6 #13 MIT
4/8 #1 Emory
4/14 #4 Wesleyan
4/17 #8 Amherst
4/28 #2 Williams
4/29 #14 Bowdoin
Pool A/Pool C
If not Pool A in the NESCAC, Tufts should get in via Pool C. Again, that 5-4 win over Pomona gives this team (and the entire NESCAC) a ranking boost which keeps them safe.
#8 Amherst
Key Wins:
#20 Trinity(TX) 6-1
#9 CMU 7-2
#11 Sewanee 6-3
Key Losses:
#2 Williams 7-2 (fall)
#7 Pomona 5-4
#3 CMS 6-3
Going Forward
Amherst had a big win against CMU to climb back up into the top 10 and be with their fellow NESCAC teams. Remaining matches:
3/31 #17 Skidmore
4/7 #1 Emory
4/7 #28 Bates
4/8 #14 Bowdoin
4/13 #21 Brandeis
4/14 #2 Williams
4/17 #6 Tufts
4/21 #4 Wesleyan
4/27 #13 MIT
4/28 #5 Middlebury
Pool A/Pool C
If not Pool A in the NESCAC, Amherst should get in via Pool C. Similar to Tufts, matches to watch out for for Amherst are against #13 MIT and #14 Bowdoin. If things stay status quo, Amherst is the 5th (of 8) team that would go in via Pool C.
#13 MIT
Key Wins:
#21 Brandeis 7-2
#19 Mary Washington 6-3
#15 Washington & Lee 7-2
#16 CWRU 6-3
Key Losses:
None
Going Forward
Finally our first non-NESCAC team! MIT did themselves a big favor by playing in the Blue-Grey, going 3-0, and solidifying their standing against teams ranked in the teens. Remaining matches:
4/6 #6 Tufts
4/13 #14 Bowdoin
4/17 #33 Wellesley
4/22 #31 Vassar
4/27 #8 Amherst
MIT has a couple more chances to give themselves a boost in Tufts and Amherst.
Pool A/Pool C
MIT should get in via Pool A from the NEWMAC. If not, they have an outside chance at Pool C – they will have to beat Bowdoin and either Tufts or Amherst to do so, a tough but not impossible task.
#14 Bowdoin
Key Wins:
#17 Skidmore 6-3 (fall)
#31 Vassar 9-0
#29 Trinity(CT) 9-0
#20 Trinity(TX) 5-4
#25 Redlands 7-2
Key Losses:
#9 CMU 7-2
#7 Pomona 8-1
#12 WashU 5-4
#3 CMS 7-2
#10 Chicago 5-4
Going Forward
This is definitely a building year for Bowdoin, as they lost some great competitors to graduation. Bowdoin is still a very good team, and if they can build some confidence, they might be able to do some damage in the NESCAC Tournament, and then ultimately knock someone off and somehow find their way into the NCAA Tournament. With the wins and losses that they have so far, they are somewhat limited in how high they can climb – their highest win so far is against #20 Trinity and their lowest loss so far is against #12 WashU. So unless they can get a higher win they are in the #14-#18 range for now. Remaining matches are:
4/6 #1 Emory
4/8 #8 Amherst
4/13 #13 MIT
4/14 #5 Middlebury
4/21 #2 Williams
4/26 #28 Bates
4/29 #6 Tufts
So as you can see they have some chances to work their way up but it’s a tough road, as they are playing the toughest teams in the country.
Pool A/Pool C
Currently Bowdoin is first out from Pool C. They lost key matches to UAA teams Chicago and WashU, both 5-4. Bowdoin can still snag that last Pool C spot by having a good NESCAC Tournament.
#17 Skidmore
Key Wins:
#33 Wellesley
#36 Swarthmore
#18 Johns Hopkins
#19 Mary Washington
Key Losses:
#14 Bowdoin (fall)
#2 Williams
Going Forward
Skidmore is another team that benefitted from playing in the Blue-Grey and going 3-0, including 2 wins against teams previously ranked above them. They had a good chance of beating Bowdoin in the fall, but with that loss, remain on the other side of Bowdoin. Remaining matches:
#8 Amherst
#21 Brandeis
#5 Middlebury
#31 Vassar
#23 NYU
In the remaining matches, I think Skidmore will win the matches that they should (Vassar, NYU, and Brandeis – Brandeis could be a fun battle.)
Pool A/Pool C
Skidmore should get in via Pool A from the Liberty League. Vassar may give them a run for their money, as they are competing well, even as #1 player Kate Christensen recovers from injury, but I give the nod to Skidmore. Otherwise, I don’t think they have a path in via Pool C.
#21 Brandeis
Key Wins:
#40 Caltech
#25 Redlands
#33 Wellesley
#29 Trinity(CT)
Key Losses:
#3 CMS
#13 MIT
Going Forward
Remaining matches:
3/31 #6 Tufts
4/7 #23 NYU
4/13 #8 Amherst
4/14 #17 Skidmore
4/21 #28 Bates
Pool A/Pool C
With the loss to MIT, it makes it really tough to get in via Pool C. But they still get to play Tufts and Amherst and the UAA Tournament, so all hope is not lost. The match against Skidmore should be a very good one.
#23 NYU
Key Wins:
#36 Swarthmore
#24 CNU
Key Losses:
None
Going Forward
Remaining matches:
4/7 #21 Brandeis
4/12 #35 TCNJ
4/22 #17 Skidmore
Pool A/Pool C
No. Both paths are equally difficult. It’s actually the same path (UAA Tournament.)
#28 Bates
Key Wins:
#30 Chapman 7-2
#36 Swarthmore 5-4
Key Losses:
#7 Pomona 8-1
#16 Case 7-2
#15 Washington & Lee 7-2
Going Forward
Bates makes it into the national rankings! Both their wins over Chapman and Swarthmore were key into making it in. In the upcoming matches, they should have a good match against Trinity and maybe pull off an upset win against Brandeis.
Remaining matches:
3/31 #6 Tufts
4/7 #8 Amherst
4/8 #29 Trinity(CT)
4/18 #4 Wesleyan
4/21 #21 Brandeis
4/28 #14 Bowdoin
Pool A/Pool C
Bates is a bit too deep in the rankings to have a good chance for a Pool C spot. They can challenge Bowdoin for the 6th and final spot in the NESCAC Tournament.
#29 Trinity(CT)
Key Wins:
#30 Chapman
Key Losses:
#14 Bowdoin 9-0
#25 Redlands 7-2
#21 Brandeis 8-1
#6 Tufts 9-0
Going Forward
Trinity sneaks into the national rankings with a 5-4 win against Chapman. Otherwise, their results are not great and they will have a lot of unranked teams in the remainder of their schedule going after them for an upset win. I think Colby’s got a shot, but it’s good to see Trinity back in the picture!
Remaining matches:
4/8 #28 Bates
4/11 #4 Wesleyan
4/15 #2 Williams
4/21 #5 Middlebury
Pool A/Pool C
Trinity is also too deep in the rankings to have a chance at a Pool C spot.
#31 Vassar
Key Wins:
#33 Wellesley
#32 Whitman
Key Losses:
#14 Bowdoin
#30 Chapman
Going Forward
Vassar looks like they are having a fairly good season. They started the spring by handily winning the Seven Sisters Tournament (beat Wellesley in the finals 4-1). During their spring break trip they upset Whitman and beat Caltech in a battle of teams ranked 40th. They did lose to then unranked Chapman. The teams in the 25-40 range are all very competitive with each other and Vassar is right in that mix. Remaining matches:
#17 Skidmore
#13 MIT
Pool A/Pool C
No, unless they can upset Skidmore in the Liberty League for a Pool A spot. That’s not totally out of the question but they are definitely the underdogs.
#33 Wellesley
Key Wins:
#34 Lewis & Clark
Key Losses:
#31 Vassar
#17 Skidmore
#21 Brandeis
#6 Tufts
Going Forward
Wellesley had a strong win against Lewis & Clark to solidify their positioning, although L&C is looking a little weaker than initially thought. They should have a good battle against Babson in the NEWMAC. Babson appears to be a bit stronger at the top of the lineup but Wellesley may be the deeper team, so it should be a good battle.
Remaining matches:
#13 MIT
Pool A/Pool C
No, unless they can beat MIT in the NEWMAC Tournament for a Pool A spot, but I see them as 3rd in the NEWMAC (behind MIT and Babson).
#35 TCNJ
Key Wins:
#36 Swarthmore 6-3
Key Losses:
None
Going Forward
The win against Swarthmore gets TCNJ entry into the national rankings.
4/12 #23 NYU
4/21 #19 Mary Washington
Pool A/Pool C
Pool A!
Well, that’s all from me for now! That was a big list of teams, but I expect a couple more teams to join the party as the season progresses – namely Colby and Babson.
