All Central Everything

This is ten percent Individuals Update, twenty percent Dual Match Preview, fifteen percent concentrated power of stream of consicousness writing, five percent memes, fifty percent State of the Region, and a hundred percent reason to remember the Central Region’s the best region. 

Tl;dr: The Central Region Individual Rankings are out, cool. Doubles gets more love this go-around. April 13th and 14th have big implications with Wash U, GAC, and Chicago all converging on Wisconsin. Kenyon paints Ohio purple. Case is down, to be determined if they’re out. Kalamazoo’s postseason ban opens new opportunity for MIAA, Unranked Carleton jumps #39 Oberlin in the region. Match Preview: The Big Red Train meets its first Lordly roadblock of the year.

 

National ITA Rankings (Blog Ranking) [Regional Ranking]: Some Blurbs on the Season – Now & Later

U Chicago: 4 (5) [1] 

11-2 this year. Notable victories: Denison, Case, Oberlin, Coe, CMU, Wash U, Pomona-Pitzer, and Williams. Notable losses: Emory and Bowdoin. Big Matches left: GAC, Wash U, UAAs.

U Chicago is a D3 tennis enigma and has been over the past couple of years. Their campus is overflowing with tennis talent in all shapes and sizes, they have recruiting classes that many division 1 coaches would consider program-changing, and have proven results against top competition  (ITAs 201_), but despite all these riches the Maroons still haven’t been able to win a National Championship. (Note: Championships aren’t the only barometer to evaluate a program or season’s quality, it’s only used here – perhaps inappropriately – to represent a cursory perspective’s ideal of what TRN stars should equate to in D3). The 2018 U Chicago Team is one of the most talented and experienced teams to champion the Southside in a long time. They’ve beaten every team that they should beat and have been beaten by every team should’ve beaten them – but that’s neither a knock on the quality of their victories nor a white-flag on Chicago’s hopes for a Championship. Chicago is doing everything that they need to do in order to garner a top two seed at UAAs and a guaranteed spot in Pool C…what more could you ask of a veteran team in April? While I don’t foresee anyway Chicago misses out on the postseason, their upcoming slate of matches could have drastic impacts on NCAA Regional Locations/Hosts and individual postseason endeavors  #Bracketology. While every match in April is important, GAC, Wash U, and UAAs highlight the rest of the Maroon’s season. Despite some one-way losses, I still think that U Chicago has the ability to beat any team in the country on every court if every player has their best day – a feat not every contender can claim. With that praise in mind, I also believe that this team could lose to GAC on any given day because of the way the Gusties play doubles and ALHOUNI. Which is why April 13th, Gustavus vs. U Chicago in Wisconsin (followed by Wash U vs U Chicago the next day) is going to be the an electric weekend full of results that could drastically shape the Central region’s May. I wasn’t going to mention health but I will say this: U Chicago is very different with Kerrigan’s left hand and D Liu’s everything in the lineup.

Gustavus: 8 (8) [2]

13-5 this year. Notable victories: CMU, Redlands, UWW, and Wash U. Notable losses:  Emory. Big Matches Left: Pomona-Pitzer, Lewis & Clark, CMS, Chicago, Carleton x2.

This the same team that upset U Chicago…but better. While you could attribute their Indoors performance on the fact that it was on their home courts, I think that’s a shortsighted and rash assessment of the Gustie’s tennis this year. Gustavus has shown that they can compete with one of the Big 4 (Emory, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and CMS), they’re playing doubles as though Butorac was on each court, and they’ve shown that they can rely on all nine positions for points. Gustavus is as dangerous team in the “Second Tier of Contenders” as any other, and neither Wash U or Chicago wants to see them in their Regional. Their trip to California will give Gustavus some more opportunities to prove that their quality isn’t dependent on the indoor courts of Minnesota. They face off with Pomona-Pitzer tomorrow evening, so I’ll tweet my thoughts on the matchup with @NewDIIIWest before doubles goes on. McGregor’s chances against Mayweather were more likely than Gustavus losing their conference tournament. GAC’s no longer a Cinderella. Some storylines to look at for Gustavus – other than their Regional location – are the two matches between Alhouni and Vithoontien (will Ekstein play One to give him an opportunity for a big jump if GAC goes up early?) and ditto but for doubles. Look up for my belief in the importance in the April 13th weekend.

Wash U: 10 (10) [3] 

8-6 this year. Notable victories: Redlands, Pomona-Pitzer, Wesleyan, and Wabash. Notable Losses: CMS, Chicago, CMU, Bowdoin, and GAC. Big Matches left: Denison, Chicago, UWW, Texas-Tyler, and UAAs.

Wash U is the loose cog in the Pool C machine this year. Their loss to CMU coupled with their victory over Wesleyan muddy the waters of the Pool C pensieve. I can’t imagine a postseason without the Bears – how long has it been? – and I don’t expect this year to be any different. However, Wash U hasn’t exactly made the road to Pool C clean and breezy. Their currently fourth in the UAA, which means they’d likely see the Eagles a round earlier than anyone would like (not saying that you’d want to see them at all). Their trip to California had its up and downs, as did Indoors, but I think that this Bears team is trending upwards as the season progresses. Wash U can put themselves in a much prettier position with a big weekend in Wisconsin as they’ll see Chicago for the second time this year. The first match was an absolute war that fell the Maroon’s way.

Kenyon: 19 (18) [4] 

11-3 this year. Notable Victories: Kalamazoo, Sewanee, Wabash, Millsaps, Rochester, and Swarthmore. Notable losses: Mary Washington and Amherst. Big Matches left: Denison, Oberlin, CMU, and NCAC tournament.

When’s the last time Ohio was painted purple? Kenyon has claimed the pole position in the state of Ohio as they jump past Case both nationally and regionally. This Kenyon team is riding the high from their first big d3 weekend of the year back to the top-20 air that the Lords used to expect. Since then Kenyon hasn’t done anything particularly impressive, but they also haven’t faltered – perhaps equally important for a team trying to build momentum towards the postseason. Tomorrow – Wednesday, April 4th – Kenyon gets their first opportunity to derail the Big Red Hype Train running amok through their Lordly Kingdom of NCAC. That will get a preview below, bet. Kenyon has their annual matchup with CMU where the Lords will get another opportunity to “play up” and cause a stir in Pool C. That match will prepare them for the NCAC tournament, whose picture will be much clearer after Kenyon’s matches with Denison and Oberlin.

Case Western: 20 (24) [5]

9-8 this year. Notable Victories: Oberlin, CNU, Wabash, Rochester, Hobart, and Swarthmore x 2. Notable losses: Chicago, NC Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Pomona-Pitzer, Trinity Tx, and Amherst. Big Matches left: Kalamazoo, NYU, and UAAs.

Aside from Fotjasek and Chen, Case has been testing different combinations at 3-6 with near roulette consistency. That up and down hecticness of the bottom portion of their lineup describes their season with some accuracy; in every match Case has competed closely in (most of them) they’ve gotten their points from different players often in different spots, but never all together. I don’t think it’s just a matter of firepower, or lack thereof, but rather that this Case team has yet to play a complete match altogether. This Case team may not be as good at competing as previous iterations of Spartans but remember they’re young. Outside of winning UAAs, Case’s postseason impact is limited to  their upset potential at UAAs and 12th ranked Fotjasek’s outside shot at singles. At UAAs, Coach Todd will probably do everything in his vast coaching arsenal to make sure that Case doesn’t end in sixth place again and probably has his sights on wreacking even more havoc on Pool C.

Denison: 29 (28) [6] 

6-2 this year. Notable victories: Kalamazoo and Hobart. Notable Losses: Chicago and CMU. Big matches left: Kenyon, Oberlin, Wabash, and NCAC tournament.

Choo Choo!!! The Big Red Hype Train’s next stop is in less than 24 hours as Denison plays the Lords. Denison’s schedule has been light in teams ranked near them, so their gliding on their 6-3 over the Hornets to the sixth spot in the region. Denison has beaten the lower ranked teams that they’ve played, and competed in spots against both CMU and Chicago. They still have last year’s 1, Kevin Brown, criminally slotted at four singles…but that’s surprisingly not the story with Coach Burling’s Boys. The Big Red Hype Train is being fueled by FOUR (sometimes 3) freshmen bookending the singles lineup at 1/2 and 5/6 with two upperclassmen holding down the lineup’s center. Denison has an opportunity to paint the NCAC red and end Thielke’s reign this year (and for the next three), but regardless of what happens April 4th I think that the tournament matchup will be an entirely different story with coaching tactics being adapted from the first matchup. That being said peep the preview below!

Kalamazoo: 31 (36) [7] 

4-6 this year. Notable victories: Oberlin, Wabash, and Southwestern Tx. Notable losses: Kenyon, Sewanee, Mary Washington, Denison, Trinity Tx, and Texas-Tyler. Big Matches left: UWW and Case – no postseason 🙁

No team postseason for this squad of Hornets, which will mark the first time in over 70 years that the NCAA tournament won’t have Kalamazoo competing. This marks an unbelievable opportunity, maybe a once in a lifetime moment, for another school in their conference to make the postseason. This Kalamazoo team has maintained its spot in the top 8 in the region, as well as their national ranking but haven’t really done anything noteworthy – yet. They have an opportunity to upset Case later in the year, and a handful of chances to bolster Henry’s individual chances (singles and doubles). This Kalamazoo team’s core is exceedingly young, and their match experiences this year will likely show over the next couple seasons as I think Kalamazoo reasserts themselves into the national conversation.

Coe: 38 (34) [8] 

16-4 this year. Notable victories: Carleton, Stevens Tech, and Wabash. Notable losses: Chicago, Mary Washington, and Sewanee. Big Matches left: UWW and NCAA tournament.

Coe’s season seems to be going to par. They’ve defeated the teams ranked near them or “on the come up” while losing to teams that have a little more depth than they do or are Chicago. Unfortunately for Anderson, his individual chances are likely out of his hands with few impact matches left on Coe’s schedule. Fortunately for Anderson and the rest of the Kohawks, they like GAC are far and away favorites to defend their conference titles and can begin looking towards NCAAs. Coe will need to play tough across all six singles spots, while also playing pristine doubles in order to change the familiar narrative of a Kohawk postseason.

Carleton: UR (UR) [9] 

14-2 this year. Notable victories: UWW. Notable losses: Coe. Big Matches left: GAC x 2.

Carleton is ranked ahead of Oberlin in the region on the combined basis of their comprehensive beatdown of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the Yeomen’s underwhelming victories since leaving their home courts (more on Oberlin below). This Carleton team is more dangerous than ever because of the emergence of a bonafide 1: Leo Vithoontien is his name and fun is his game. The lefty freshman is seizing the torch from the midwest lefty legends of the past and present (Heerboth, Krimbill, Alhouni, etc.) and is hoping to punch his ticket to individuals as a freshman with a victory over Alhouni in singles or doubles. Carleton is as dangerous as ever with all of their players playing a more suitable singles position with Vithoontien (Is there a nickname?) holding down 1 and could definitely put a scare in GAC.

Oberlin: 39 (UR) [10] 

7-7 this year. Notable victories: Wabash, Rochester, and Hobart. Notable losses: CNU, CMU, Kalamazoo, and Case. Big Matches left: Kenyon, Denison, and NCAC tournament.  

The Yeoman got their first win over a nationally ranked team in some time when they beat Hobart on the back of a doubles sweep. Oberlin’s is a tale of two seasons: home and away. They’ve put on some convincing performances at home but equally suspect ones on the road (looking at you Spring Break). Their double-edged victory over Wabash (1-8 loss to Kalamazoo immediately followed) to start the year positions the Yeomen to get at least the 3 seed at conferences – rarified air for the perennial four seed. Oberlin can substantiate their national ranking with a strong close to the year with their first chance coming up against the Lords April 14th and a date with the Big Red Hype Train for April 22nd. How this team adjusts to playing outside and away from home will determine if the NCAC throne has three legitimate challengers or just two and a farmer.

 

The Skinny on the Scrum: Regional Ranks 11-20 feat. Regional NE/C

UWW Whitewater: newCentral:An exceedingly one-way loss against Carleton doesn’t bolster the Warhawk chances for  a Pool B berth especially the way Santa-Cruz has been bringing it over the past couple of weeks.

Depauw: D3RegionalNEC: Their best wins are against Hope and Earlham. Wabash will be anxiously awaiting their chance to surpass them in the NCAC

newCentral: It’s not wild to imagine Depauw gets passed up by either OWU or Wooster soon after the always moving Little Giants surpass them.

Wabash: D3RegionalNEC: Best chance in years for Wabash to finish in the top four of the NCAC, especially with the almost guaranteed point at #1 doubles.

newCentral: Singles depth remains a concern for the Little Giants as Reifeis and McAuley continue to hold it down in both singles and doubles.

Luther: D3RegionalNEC: Big matches against UW-Eau Claire and Carleton this weekend. Time to see how good the Norse really are.

newCentral: TBD after this weekend. Norse is both an astounding mascot and an amazing clothing company.

UW-Eau Claire: D3RegionalNEC: A very under the radar team that’s only notable win was a 7-2 victory over Augustana back in February. Don’t know a ton about them, but their match with Luther should tell us more.

newCentral: TBD after this weekend. What’s a Blugold ?

Rose-Hulman: D3RegionalNEC: The Rose-Hulman vs Earlham battle for the Heartland Conference is low-key very interesting. RHIT has the experience and track record, but their play this spring suggests Earlham has a good shot at the upset.

newCentral: Rose-Hulman has more big-match experience than Earlham, but I feel like Earlham has the goods this year – keep an eye on the Heartland.

Grinnell: D3RegionalNEC: Wins over OWU and Augie, but a recent loss to Calvin. The Pioneers are improved but definitely in that bottom tier of ranked teams. They should win the Midwest Conference as per usual.

newCentral: Don’t see much upward mobility for this team – seem to be ranked appropriately.

Ohio Wesleyan: D3RegionalNEC: Zero wins against ranked teams. Not sure why they’re 18 since ITA rankings are usually just a ladder, but I think #18 is about where they should be.

newCentral: Fukamachi had a nice win over Drougas in a forgettable outing against Oberlin, keep an eye on his outside individual chances.

Augustana: D3RegionalNEC: Augie finds themselves ranked while Wheaton does not. Will the Vikings be able to translate that into a CCIW title?

Calvin: D3RegionalNEC: As worthy a #20 team as anyone else. Biggest win is over Grinnell, but a 5-4 loss to Augie holds them back from rising much higher for now. Big match vs Hope on Wednesday. Now that I think about it, 2018 is actually freaking HUGE for Calvin and Hope, as the MIAA Pool A bid is up for grabs with Kzoo banned. It’s a once in a lifetime (almost literally) opportunity.

Individual Rankings: Doubles (3.29)

Quick Thoughts Rating Scale: Lock – Probs – TBD – ehh – nah

Since Doubles rarely gets love, they’ll be getting the fuller write ups in this individuals update with singles getting their requisite love in the next individuals update.

Refeis & McAuley – Wabash 1 Lock

18-0: Oberlin, Kalamazoo, Case, Kenyon, Carthage, Coe, UWW, Wash U, and Rose-Hulman among the scalps for this pair of little giants; a constant lesson that giants are dangerous at any size…still not even the Iron Giant could save the dumpster fire that is Ready Player One…but I digress. It’s near impossible for a doubles team to go an entire season without a loss – especially at 1 – and it’s hard to imagine a postseason that doesn’t include these high school doubles partners. Seems safe to say that this pair may experience a loss before the year ends, but I can’t imagine the Committee/Academy will let a loss or two keep them out. The pair have some upcoming NCAC matches that will feature a gauntlet of quality 1 doubles teams that could either boost Will and P-Mac to a high seed or put them on the bubble.

Alhouni & Whaling – GAC 1 Lock

9-1 this Spring with their only loss coming to an out of region Redlands team. They’ve overcome Emory, CMU, UWW, and Wash U’s 1 doubles teams. GAC will have numerous opportunities to show off their class of doubles over the rest of the season, and as long as they can successfully thwart the Carleton team on their heels – they’ll likely face them twice – then they should be fine. A loss to Chicago wouldn’t be devastating as long as they can maintain their spot over Carleton. I expect that Alhouni and Whaling get even better as the year goes on and they should have a high seed at Nationals.

Chua & Kumar – Chicago 1 TBD

Wins against Denison, Oberlin, CMU, Wash U, and Pomona-Pitzer highlight the resume of Chicago’s 1 doubles team. Their three losses were to teams that could feasibly be considered as favorites but these are more or less moot for in-region rankings considering the teams were: Emory, Bowdoin, and Williams. Chicago will get at least one team in to nationals, it’s very possible they get two but who knows which four players will occupy those top two doubles spots at year’s end #DLiuBHreturn.

Raclin & Yuan – Chicago 2 TBD

See above but add that this particular team won ITAs and Small College Nationals.

Noall & Rieger – Kenyon 1 TBD

A strong opening weekend catapulted this team into the nationals conversation from the get-go. Wins over Sewanee, Mary Washington, and Kalamazoo (though mostly that Kalamazoo win) substantiate this lordly rank of five. As stated earlier, this is one of the many teams to have fallen to Reifeis and McAuley this year – they have numerous out of region losses (Millsaps, Swarthmore, and Amherst) but should remain on the bubble hoping to possibly see Wabash in the postseason for an extra resume boost.

Vithoontien & O’Kelly – Carleton 1 ehh

Their postseason ticket is stamped with at least one win over Alhouni and Whaling…but it’s probably closer to two. Major props to Leo – one of the region’s biggest impact freshmen in a year seemingly full of them – for being in the nationals conversation for both singles and doubles in their first year of college tennis.

Rank 7-15:

Henry & Metzler, Brown & McDonald, Cohen & Gruppuso, Pudlo & Ford, Frauenheim & McClanahan, Navratil & Englehart, Anderson & Ackert, Johnson & Entwistle, and Fojtasek & Chen.

Individual Rankings: Singles (3.29) – Fall Results Italicized

Quick Thoughts Rating Scale: Lock – Probs – TBD – ehh – nah

1. Mohanad Alhouni – GAC 1 Lock

Notable victories: Ekstein, Yuan, Jemison, Jemison, Levine, Levine, Lipscomb, and Navratil Notable losses: Wu

2. Johhny Wu – Wash U 1 Lock

Notable victories: Lipscomb, Chua, Alhouni, and Reifeis. Notable losses: Pei, Parodi, Levine, Kronenberg, Urken, Chen, and Wei.

3. Luke Tsai – Chicago 1 Probs

Notable victories: Neves, McDonald, Chen, Gruppuso, Downing, Josepher, van der Sman, Bellet, and Grodecki. Notable losses:  Urken and Concannon.

4. Jake Zalenski – Kenyon 1 TBD

Notable victories: Bopanna, Drougas, Henry, Miles, Gray, Reifeis, Marti Vertiz, and Fujimaki Notable losses: Diehl, Stadnyk, Rotnov, McDonald, Fallati, and Wei.

5. Leo Vithoontien – Carleton 1 Probs

Notable victories: Sugumaran, Sugumaran, Anderson, and Navratil. Notable losses: Whaling.

6. Nick Chua – Chicago 2 ehh

Notable victories: Rotnov, Fojtasek, Tercek, and Barr. Notable losses: Levine, Jemison, Wu, and Kronenberg.

7. Brady Anderson – Coe 1 ehh

Notable victories: Ekstein, Whaling, Miles, Reifeis, and Abban. Notable losses: Ekstein, Tsai, Vithoontien, and Gray.

8. Titas Bera – Wooster 1 ehh

Notable victories: Abban, Navratil, and Mora. Notable losses: Concannon and Rotnov.

9. Bernardo Neves – Wash U 2 TBD

Notable victories: Kanam, Jacobs, Rodriguez, Shekar, Mandic, JIang, Eusebio, and Ekstein. Notable losses: Tsai and Hsia.

10. Zach Ekstein – GAC 2 ehh

Notable victories: Anderson, Josepher, Downing, Tykhonenko and Englehart Notable losses: Anderson, Alhouni, Ling, and Neves

Rank 11-25:

Yuan, Fojtasek, Abban, Park, Fukamachi, Rotnov, Whaling, Diehl, Chen, Refieis, Kerrigan, Henry, Drougas, Landwehr, and DeRezende.

#29 Denison University vs. #19 Kenyon College – April 4th @ 4:30 PM in Gambier, Ohio (Kenyon)

*Both teams have used multiple doubles and singles lineups this year to accommodate injuries and/or to create more favorable matchups, so the matchups placed here are our best guess.

This is the Big Red’s first chance to really test their metal against the NCAC’s best. It will be played in Kenyon, which means more than the twenty to thirty minute drive can convey because Kenyon has one of the loudest and most raucous benches in the country. It will be interesting to see how the four freshmen of Denison react to the volume and consistency of a committed crowd trying to flex on their NCAC little brother. In the end, I think that this match will matter little if these teams see each other again in Indianapolis because of how dynamic these teams can be with their lineups and doubles teams. The 1 Doubles match will have some serious postseason implications because it will be incredibly difficult for the loser to qualify for nationals. Additionally, Rotnov the odds on favorite to win NCAC Newcomer of the Year, will have a chance to move in the individual top ten with a victory over last year’s Newcomer of the Year: Zalenski. Lastly, this match will likely decide who gets the 1 and 2 seed in the NCAC tournament, which means that the loser will probably have to play Oberlin in the semis while the victor will get Wabash – should things go chalk.

1 Doubles: (8) Kevin Brown & Jamie McDonald  vs. (5) Alex Rieger & Weston Noall

The recipe for both of these doubles teams is the same: The big hitting lefty will serve big, hit big, and close hard while their partner acts as a support making sure their respective lefty can control the match. With that in mind, I think this match will come down to which “Attack”  plays better since both McDonald and Reiger can set up their partner’s winners from anywhere on the court. McDonald and Rieger will battle over who can create better and easier opportunities for their partner, but in the end I think that since Brown and Noall are more or less equals on the doubles court: it will be Brown’s superior closing abilities that help Denison win the one doubles point. Denison 8-6

2 Doubles: Vlad Rotnov & Mitchell Thai vs. Jake Zalenski & Austin Diehl

I have nothing to back up this stat, but it seems like the NCAC more than any other conference loves to dabble with their 1 and 2 and 2 doubles. Court two will put four exceptional baseliners against each other in what could end up being a case study in what happens when kids are giving Pure Drives and poly in Elementary School. I think that the experience and the occasion help put the Lords over the top here. Kenyon 9-8(2)

3 Doubles: Blake Burstein & Patrick McGuigan vs. Bryan Yoshino & Michael Liu

Three Doubles is rarely glamorous and this matchup…does nothing to change my mind. Three doubles features two upperclassmen that are more content hitting groundstrokes than anything and two wildcard freshmen. I think that the calm intensity that senior Michael Liu will bring to the doubles court will settle Yoshinomore quickly than McGuigan and that will be the key to this match. Kenyon 8-4

1 Singles: (16) Vlad Rotnov vs. (4) Jake Zalenski

Rotnov won this matchup in the Fall fairly convincingly, but we all know that Fall results can be deceiving. Both of these players are fitter than fiddles and can grind better than a mortar and pestle from Williams and Sonoma, so the uniqueness of this matchup will be dependent on the different ways these two “grind”. Rotnov grinds with guile and unrelenting sticktoitiveness, while Zalenski massages the ball around until he’s ready to steal bundles of points with his forehand and spot-serving. I expect this match to be high quality if Rotnov can tune out the loud jesters in Gambier. Denison 6-3, 2-6, 6-4

2 Singles: Mitchell Thai vs. Austin Diehl

Diehl is quietly having himself an outstanding sophomore campaign: 13-0 in the Spring. While Diehl probably hasn’t played against a backhand like this, I don’t think it will matter for the Kenyon’s ultimate grinder, Wade reincarnate, the pride of Missouri: Austin Diehl. Look for Diehl to use his kick serve wide and first forehand to run Thai all day as he continues his streak of perfection. Kenyon 7-6, 6-1

3 Singles: Jamie McDonald vs. Nicholas Paolucci

McDonald could frustrate a rock. He’s a relentless competitor who plays an unorthodox style seemingly composed of equal parts a 3.5 NTRP, John Henderson, and Nadal. For all that McDonald can do, it may not matter in the end; Paolucci can take the racket out of your hand with his serve (or by just reaching over from his baseline, dude is Big). If the match is indoors it could be all Paolucci all day, but things could get hairy if conditions are blustery and less than ideal for tennis: just like McDonald likes it. Kenyon 6-3, 6-4 (indoors) Kenyon 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 (outdoors)

4 Singles: Kevin Brown vs. Michael Liu

I haven’t been silent about how ridiculous it is to have Kevin Brown at 4, but what do I know. I think that Brown outmuscles the crafty Canadian in straight sets. Brown has too much firepower for Liu and should be favored against every NCAC 4.  Denison 6-2, 6-4

5 Singles: Danish Siddique vs. Bryan Yoshino

Danish had a close match with Carnegie but playing up has a different pressure than playing in a tight match between equals. Siddique and Yoshino similarly refuse to crack eggs with their shots and prefer to play consistent all-court focused games. With Denison’s freshmen showing out, I expect Yoshino (an Ohio boy who probably knows Rtnov and Thai all too well) to show he belongs in the impact freshmen conversation with his contemporaries. Kenyon 7-5, 1-6, 6-3

6 Singles: Patrick McGuigan vs. Weston Noall

McGuigan showed a lot of promise and grit against Carnegie securing a point at 6. There’s no doubt that McGuigan can play, but I think that Noall shows his senior experience and beats the freshmen to clinch this match. Noall serves big and can slap winners from everywhere – I reckon he’ll be on more than he’s off in this one. Kenyon 6-2, 6-2

 

D3newCentral: Kenyon def. Denison 6-3

D3AtlanticSouth: Kenyon def. Denison 5-4

D3 NE: Kenyon def. Denison 6-3

 

-newCentral