This is going to be a pretty NE-centric article, as a lot of the Central matches have already been covered by myself and NewD3Central in the article that posted this afternoon. Check it out here: http://www.division3tennis.com/ranked-central-weekend-rules-everything-around-me/
With that in mind, there’s still some good stuff in the Northeast that happened this past week and even more to look forward to this weekend. Additionally, we’ll take a dive in to the ITA Regional Rankings after I completely gave up on doing a tweet thread about it all last night. Let’s do this all chronologically:
Stuff that happened in the past week:
Hobart def Rochester 6-3
Definitely a closer match than I thought it would be, with Hobart winning 6-3 on their home courts on the same day they reappeared in the national rankings. Rochester has to take some confidence from this result, even though they were outclasses in the middle of the lineup. The biggest takeaway in this one was at #1 singles, where Rochester’s Masaru Fujimaki continued to put together a very solid junior season, destroying #13 in the Northeast Alan Dubrovsky 6-2, 6-0.
TCNJ def Ithaca 5-4
Wow, the gap between these teams has really closed! Ithaca’s top three has really impressed me this spring, and taking 1-3 singles vs TCNJ is the latest reason why. Minos Stavrakas is more of a known entity at #1, but Sam McGrath has really come into his own at #2, and Colten Lavery dropping only two games at #3 is quite something. The Bombers didn’t quite have the depth to pull off the win, but Ithaca is on their way back up. They seem to go in waves of being pretty strong then dropping off, and it looks like right now they’ve got a solid foundation to build upon. Credit to TCNJ for gritting out the win though. The Lions always bring it.
NYU def TCNJ 6-3
Not a bad result for NYU in a rescheduled match that was initially snowed out in March. Vishal Walia and Josh Piatos at 5 & 6 is quite solid, and with this lineup I’m not surprised NYU won this battle of NY vs NJ that has had a number of good match in recent years. For TCNJ, their doubles is down this year which is bad news considering they’re a traditionally strong doubles team. Singles wise, my sense is that everyone is just playing too high. Mitchel Sanders had a solid year last spring but hasn’t been able to replicate it in 2018, and beyond him I feel like they’re a team full of 4s, 5s, and 6s. That’s not uncommon for TCNJ as they usually bring in 1-2 stars and develop well, but as of now no one is really able to fill that void of being a rock solid 1-3 singles player. Combine that with shaky doubles and it’s no wonder why TCNJ is a bit down this spring.
Stevens def NYU 6-3
I tweeted about this one, but I’ll reiterate that this is a really good win for Stevens, especially without Danny Polk (not sure where he was) and with Keegan Morris, the freshman who had a promising start this spring but has been out a lot lately, getting rolled at #4. Solid team win for the Ducks and credit to Coach Gachko for finding a way to get this team into the national rankings despite a lot of roster turnover in the last couple years. For NYU, I don’t know what to say. I honestly thought they’d be a better this year, but they continue to be a total enigma. Ben Teoh has gone from being a top 3 singles player to now only playing doubles, and that’s only one example of many where it’s just a total crapshoot every time out as to who’s going to be in NYU’s lineup and how they’re going to play. No Walia or Piatos this time around, and the Violets are as unpredictable as ever.
Kalamazoo def UWW 6-3
I had a feeling this one could be somewhat tight, and I was right, so I just wanted to point that out! UWW got the key doubles lead, but the talent disparity was too much to overcome as the Hornets stormed back in singles for a 6-3 win. Competitive singles matches for the most part, but I think it’s fair to say the better team won. Going to be weird not having either team in the NCAA bracket this year.
Wesleyan def Trinity CT 7-2
Trinity and rest of the bottom NESCAC teams continue to impress me, as the Bantams actually took at 2-1 lead after doubles on Wesleyan. It wasn’t the full lineup for the Cardinals, but still credit to Trinity for putting the pressure on. Singles was another story, but this result is more proof to me that Trinity is on the upswing, especially with some young guys contributing. Shoutout to freshmen Chris Bilicic and Granville Kaynor for a solid 8-6 win at #3 over Finkelman and Holtzman.
Babson def Coast Guard 7-2
I was legitimately bummed to see that Alberto De Mendiola is no longer on the Babson roster. If he was there, I think the Beavers could be a top 15 team in the Northeast. Even without him they still are solid, with freshman Andre Libnic holding it down at #1. Coast Guard is not a bad team and is right on the cusp of #20, so a 7-2 win for Babo is nothing to scoff at. Babson is just one or two players short of being a really legit top 15 team, because as of now their depth is a little shaky.
SONG OF THE WEEK!
Gotta feel good to play good, right? I never actually listened to this before a match, and I sorely regret that.
Stuff Happening in the Next Few Days
NYU vs Rochester
Honestly, who knows? Ask me a few days ago and I would’ve said 8-1 or 9-0 for NYU, but after this week’s performances for both teams, this match (at Rochester) could get tight. These two have a long history of battles for the bottom of the UAA and while a lot of it depends on who plays for NYU, I will definitely leave this one as a match to follow. This is going to sound harsher than I mean it to (and doesn’t really make any sense either)—I don’t think Rochester is good enough to win, but I do think NYU is shaky enough to lose.
Conn College vs Colby
Welcome to the regional rankings Connecticut College. As expected, the Camels are back in the top 20 for the first time since 2015 and take on the Mules in a battle of lower (but still good!) NESCAC teams. Colby is coming off an impressive 9-0 win over Trinity (that was closer than the score indicates but still….9-0) and Conn College got beaten pretty badly by Amherst earlier this week for what it’s worth, and with all that in mind I’ve got to go with Colby. We’re still learning more about both of these young teams and how good they really are, so for now I’m sticking with the team with more data points, a higher ranking, and the Blog’s #1 reader.
Skidmore vs Stevens and Middlebury
I’m pretty sure D3NE preview the Midd match in his weekend preview, so if you’re into a #WallofText go check that out. The big storyline to me is how much of a grind it’s going to be to drive down to Stevens and then up to Middlebury. Skidmore should be fine against Stevens despite the Ducks momentum, and against Midd it’s going to be a tough go of it. Definitely some big individuals implications at #1 singles and doubles (mostly doubles), but with the teams currently at 2 & 3 a loss for Koulouris/Wynne won’t kill them. The bigger issue is that if they lose, they leave themselves vulnerable to indirect losses from any losses Cuba/Schlanger take the rest of the way in the NESCAC.
Hobart vs NYU
Basically the same story as what I wrote about Rochester vs NYU. At least here we’ll have a look at NYU’s lineup on Saturday vs Rochester, so I’ll have some idea of who’s playing for the Violets. Based on recent trends I’ve got to go with Hobart (who has an indirect win over NYU via Stevens this spring) but again, it’s NYU. Who knows?
Colby vs Babson
Great opportunity here for Colby to prove to us all that they are a legit top 15 regional team and a deserving nationally ranked squad by disposing of Babson. I think the Mules have the depth and doubles prowess to take care of the Beavers, but if Babson can get a doubles lead (which is certainly possible), this one could get very interesting. I know I sound like a broken record, but I’d be way more pumped about this one if Alberto De Mendiola was playing. Where have you gone, ADM? (UPDATE 4/14/18: I have been informed that ADM will be back next fall after recovering from an injury. Get well soon!)
My Take on the 4/12 ITA Regional Rankings
Northeast Team
- Nice to see Conn College rewarded for their win over Coast Guard a couple weeks back with their first appearance in the rankings since 2015.
- TCNJ manages to stay at #16 thanks to their win over Ithaca, though I think they should be closer to #20 than they are now. With their schedule though, they might be able to stay where they are.
- While they haven’t earned it yet, Hamilton has a shot at beating Ithaca in a couple weeks, which could potentially bring the ENTIRE NESCAC into the Regional Rankings. Doubt that’s ever happened before.
Northeast singles:
- Great to see Hobart still have TWO singles guys ranked in Salita and Dubrovsky
- Welcome to the rankings Andre Libnic from Babson!
- With Hillis no longer on Amherst’s roster, there’s a chance that another #1 from a smaller school gets into the rankings next time around.
Northeast doubles
- Auh/Kreuger (Vassar) remain in the doubles rankings at #15 despite a loss in March to Boyle/Glickman (Trinity CT). I’m not going to go through all the indirects to figure out why they’re ranked, just wanted to point it out and give a shoutout to the BrewCrew for having some representation despite falling out of the team rankings.
- Wynne/Koulouris remain the only team I technically cover that as a shot at NCAAs from the Northeast.
Central
UPDATED 4/14/18 10:00 PM: I’m back with my take on the Central Region rankings!
Team
- I’m immediately jarred by seeing teams like Kalamazoo and Coe in the top 10, as it’s a reminder that the Central depth is not nearly the same as the Northeast (thanks, NESCAC).
- I can’t decide what I actually think of UWW. While I keep saying they are way down, I feel like I might be holding them to an unrealistic standard. Wins over DePauw and Wabash are looking better and better, and while they’re not an elite team anymore, they’re still right there in the thick of things in the rankings.
- With Augustana not in the rankings anymore, not sure how UW-Eau Claire stays at #14 for much longer considering their best win is against Augie way back on February 2nd. The Blugolds have shots at proving they deserve to be up there against Kalamazoo and UW-Whitewater. A win in either would be very impressive (and surprising).
- Grinnell is another interesting one. They get ranked above Calvin despite a direct loss, mainly thanks to the Pioneers win over OWU. I tweeted about this during the last ranking period, but the last few spots definitely get a bit messy.
Nice to see the Hope Dutchmen make the top 20. We’ve now got THREE teams from the MIAA in the rankings! How about that! Lots of good tennis being played in the mitten.
Singles
- Leo Vithoontien (I finally memorized the spelling, by the way! NewD3Central is still working on it) is pretty much a lock for NCAAs. He’s got two matches with Al-Houni remaining, but he’s got nothing to lose in those. All he has to do is not slip up.
- Brady Anderson needs to win out (some tough matches left, be he’s the favorite in all of them) to have a shot at NCAAs. He is ranked above Neves (Wash U #2), but if it comes down to those two for the last Central spot, it’s going to be a very tough call. It’s the classic #2 from a big school with a loaded schedule vs a #1 from a smaller school argument, and it’s tough to predict those, but overall Brady has hung around in the conversation despite a few losses early in the spring.
- Herman Abban is chilling at #12, a very solid number but unfortunately he’s going to be on the outside looking in for NCAAs this year.
- Anderson Park (freshman from Wheaton) sneaking in to the top 15! A fall win over Rotnov (Denison) and victories over Morton (Luther) and Fukamachi (Ohio Wesleyan) are his best so far this spring.
- Ian Landwehr (Rose-Hulman) was seen as a dark horse NCAA candidate, and while he’s still unbeaten in D3 competition his strength of schedule is holding him back from being higher. Today’s win over Fojtasek (Case) was key in him continuing to move up. His biggest test remaining is against Titas Bera (Wooster).
- Michael Drougas (Oberlin) has certainly taken his lumps at #1, but he still finds his way into the rankings. Why? Well, playing #1 for a nationally ranked team probably helps. But a win over Reifeis (Wabash) from back in February helps too.
Doubles
- So I see that Carleton has a team at #5! Could they make NCAAs? Maybe. It’s pretty messy with Chicago having two top 4 teams, with one not playing together anymore and the other playing #2 currently. No idea what to make of that. But man I sure would love to see Leo and Jordon O’Kelley make NCAAs. Two chances to beat Gustavus, with one win probably good enough to get them in (maybe? Predicting doubles scenarios for individuals is futile).
- Cool that Camron Cohen and Stephen Grupposo are top 10 ranked now! They’ve quietly put together a solid season at #1 for Oberlin.
- Fraunheim and McClanahan (DePauw) and Pudlo/Ford (Coe) also in that 10-15 range. I definitely have given Pudlo/Ford more love this year, and I think the main reason why is just that their names are a whole lot easier to spell (Sorry Greg and Bryce).
- The doubles rankings aren’t as fun as they have been in the past, to be quite honest. It’s basically just the #1 teams from all the top 10 schools with a couple #2 teams mixed in as well. The most interesting things are the Chicago situation and of course the next bullet:
- Finally, WABASH! Reifeis and McAuley continue their run of dominance and are looking pretty good for a seeding at NCAAs. If they can add to that a team win over DePauw in the NCAC tournament, it would be the cherry on top of a great season for the Little Giants.