UAA Semifinal Preview + Backdraw (Feat. Regional)

For those of you that joined us this morning for the UAA Quarterfinals, I hope you all enjoyed the show. The morning was summed up by this tweet right here and a few others from myself and D3Regional.

Brandeis is winning and Regional is alive, this is why UAAs are great! https://t.co/60e1kqaCdD

— d3AtlanticSouth (@d3AtlanticSouth) April 26, 2018

We were in for a treat this morning. This is the first time in at least 12 years that the UAA had two 5-4 matches in the first round of the tournament.@D3Regional

— d3AtlanticSouth (@d3AtlanticSouth) April 26, 2018

However now we are in for the best part of UAAs:
– Jason's Deli / Jersey Mike's post match fuel
– UAA BANQUET. Can @uaatennis live tweet the banquet?

— D3 Regional (@D3Regional) April 26, 2018

That’s all I really need to say about today, which brought us the fireworks that we were craving for. Especially me, considering this will be my 5TH ARTICLE OF THE PERFECT WEEK! I am not going to lie, I thought I wasn’t going to make it yesterday but things fell into place. Shoutout to D3RegionalNEC for saving my skin here and getting the article in before 12 midnight yesterday. After a great day today, I am re-energized and now it’s time for some previews!

#1 Emory vs. #4 Wash U, Friday 2PM

AS: This match deserves the match by match preview and I will be the one to give you this match by match preview. NewD3Central will take the Chicago/CMU match. I am selfishly taking this one because I think it will be the more interesting of the two, because when was the last time Emory/Wash U didn’t bring some fireworks? Were you surprised by Case challenging CMU today? Well, that’s what happens when two teams have a rivalry, and this one is the best rivalry in DIII Tennis in my mind. Emory cruised through Rochester today quite easily and Wash U had a battle versus Brandeis, who was sneaky good all year. A good warmup for Wash U and they should be ready to play come 2PM tomorrow. Let’s start with the doubles.

#1 Doubles: Spaulding/Rubinstein (EU) vs. Haugen/Kozlowski (WASH)

The Haugen/Koz combo is back at the top spot, and they ran through the Brandeis team today to show they are no jokes. Spaulding and Rubinstein haven’t had the best go of it as of late and I do love betting on them in big matches, but I think Emory is the favorite at both the other doubles spots. This is one of a few matches Wash has to win to challenge, and they will do so. Wash U 8-5

#2 Doubles: Bouchet/Renke (EU) vs. Neves/Vishnubholta (WASH)

NE’s favorite #2 doubles team features one of Emory’s seniors and the always dangerous Bouchet. While Neves is playing lights out in singles right now, that hasn’t really translated to the doubles court as they’ve suffered losses now to Chicago and Brandeis in succession. Bouchet and Renke are too good and too in sync to lose this one. Emory 8-4

#3 Doubles: Jemison/Cassone (EU) vs. Van der Sman/Wu (WASH)

A battle between four players I consider primarily singles players, this should be a fun match to watch from a doubles perspective. Jemison and Cassone have the ground stroke game to take advantage of a struggling #3 doubles team. Emory 8-3

#1 Singles: Jemison (EU) vs. Wu (WASH)

A battle between two of the more storied players in DIII right now. This one should be a grind, with both these guys really improving their attacking game over the past year or so. Wu has brought a different level this year than years past, and in doubt I choose the senior to come up with a big win in a rivalry and his last UAAs. WASH U, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

#2 Singles: Cassone (EU) vs. Neves (WASH)

MARQUEE MATCHUP!!!! RING RING RING!!!! The freshman Cassone vs. the red hot Bernardo Neves in what should be one of the best battles of the tournament. I said I was looking forward to this and the hype is so real. Can Cassone blow Neves off the court with his explosive shots? I don’t think so, and Neves continues his supremacy over 2018. WASH U, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

#3 Singles: Josepher (EU) vs. Van der Sman (WASH)

I’ve done my doubting of Josepher all year, but I have extreme confidence in the senior here over van der Sman. After a solid start this year, the Wash U freshman has struggled and lost today to Brandeis. Now comes an even tougher challenge with a better and more seasoned play in Alec. Emory 6-4, 6-2.

#4 Singles: Bouchet (EU) vs Haugen (WASH)

I think the injuries have finally caught up to Haugen, who is an extremely solid player but simply got grinded down today by Das of Brandeis. Much like van der Sman, he faces an even tougher challenge with Bouchet and unless there’s a big Wash U rivalry boost, this one should go in Emory’s favor. Emory 6-3, 6-2.

#5 Singles: Harrington (EU) vs. Li (WASH)

We keep getting senior vs. freshman matchups and they keep happening in favor of Emory. Harrington will struggle in the beginning against Li’s strange style at first, but I expect him to take control and eventually run away with this one. Experience over everything, peeps. Emory 6-4, 6-1

#6 Singles: Rubinstein (EU) vs Kroot (Wash)

A really nice matchup here as Kroot has been moved down in the lineup and currently slots in as a solid player down there. I simply don’t think that Kroot is playing his best tennis right now and Rubinstein is playing with a lot of confidence. My gut tells me Emory 6-2, 6-4.

Match Prediction

AS: Emory 6-3

#2 Chicago vs. #3 CMU, Friday 2PM

AS: Another match that deserve the match by match preview, and this time NewD3Central will be the one to give it to you. Some thoughts from me however, here. I’ll keep it ASouth heavy given Central is going to join, and CMU really dodged a bullet today. I warned in my preview that Case would bring their best against their hated rival and I hate that I couldn’t watch the Spartans come out serving bagels in the early morning. CMU needs to figure out a few things if they make the playoffs – they have to get out to faster starts and they need to figure out 6 singles. Both things reared their ugly head today as Case won 13 games in a row at 2 and 3 doubles to put the Tartans in a bad place. Luckily, Daniel Levine and Chaz Downing came to play as they have each and every time out this year. CMU escaped. They can’t do the same against Chicago because they’ll be challenged at the top of the lineup and I highly doubt they sweep the top as they have in many of their wins this year. Watching CMU is always a hoot because they’ll throw in a ton of 5-4 matches where they go down in doubles and need to play the roulette that is their bottom of the lineup.

On the Chicago side, I was totally wrong that David Liu would be in this match and I doubt we see him for the rest of the tournament. Kerrigan was the only player to lose a set this match against Setter, and I have to favor Levine in tomorrow’s #1 singles showdown. Downing/Chua should be a doozy and I must say that AVZ and I have differing opinions on this match. Let’s see who wins it. Overall, CMU can challenge Maroons but only if they come out sharp in doubles. They need two wins and I see it more likely they get swept than them going up 2-1. I’d love to eat my words here but that’s my hunch. In singles, I love CMU top of the lineup and I’d give em 2 matches there, but that’s all I see. So at the end of the day, give me Chicago 7-2.

Well, it looks like NewD3Central is MIA. So this preview is going out, whether you like it or not!

#5 Brandeis vs. #8 Rochester, Friday 2PM

REGIONAL: After the heartbreaker against Wash U, Brandeis has to rebound tomorrow in the backdraw. Luckily for them, with the #5 seed comes what should be a straightforward match against Rochester. Brandeis should be favored at pretty much every position except for maybe #1 singles, where Brandeis is a little inexperienced and Rochester has an experienced guy in Masaru Fujimaki. The key to Rochester winning this match is a Brandeis hangover, where they come out a little flat in doubles and Rochester takes it to them. I don’t think that will happen however, and I think Brandeis is just too solid at #3-6 singles for Rochester to have a great chance. Rochester would need a doubles sweep and then #1 and #2 singles. I don’t think Brandeis will let that happen. Brandeis 7-2

#6 Case Western vs. #7 NYU, Friday 2PM

REGIONAL: Similar to Brandeis, Case has to rebound tomorrow against NYU, who lost badly to Chicago today. These teams played exactly five days ago, and Case won relatively easily 7-2, sweeping doubles and winning at #2 and #4-6, with the #4-6 matches being blowouts. I don’t think too much has changed in the past five days, and I don’t think Case will let themselves fall into the 7th place match. Setter is legit at #1 for the Violets but I don’t know who else they have that puts a scare into the Spartans. Case Western 7-2

Final Thoughts

Thank you all once again for tuning into another article in my Perfect Week. It has really been a pleasure taking time out of my work day to grind out articles everyday but hey I am happy to do it. Thanks to the other bloggers for the quick assist once again as well. I’d like to finish with one final thought – the ITA Rankings are not bad nationally, but the inconsistencies in the thinking are absolutely ridiculous. I called this out on Twitter and this is something I will continue to call out. We here at the blog are not about sitting back and watching head scratching things happen. And with that, ASouth, OUT.