With the quarterfinals under our belts, we now turn to our first semifinal preview and a highly anticipated match-up between the Eagles and the Panthers. Emory made light work of Chicago to secure their spot in this match, but Midd, despite a not-so-close scoreline, was battling a fiery Wesleyan when the match was decided. Before we dive into this preview, I just wanted to add a short recap of these two QFs. Chicago put up a good match against Emory, and even surprised us with a huge win at 1 dubs, and all the players were fighting throughout singles. We saw some very high quality tennis, which is what the post-season is all about! Congrats to the Maroons on a great season!! The other quarter was a hotly contested match between NESCAC foes, and while the scoreline remained the same as their past meetings, I want to give a huge shoutout to Wesleyan for playing with so much grit – despite dropping a number of first sets, all courts looked to be fighting to the end, and I’m sure it produced some fantastic tennis (sadly, we did not have the privilege of the live stream on these matches). Looking ahead now to the semis, this match will absolutely be close. You have a young, fiery Midd team versus a flawless, seasoned Emory. Both teams have only been getting better as the season has gone on, so I cannot wait to watch these matches under the lights tomorrow!
#1 doubles: Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico/Bridget Harding (Emory) vs. Katy Hughes/Skylar Schossberger (Midd)
ASW: Both teams lost today and Emory’s loss was more of a surprise. Logically I think Emory has the advantage in this one but I’m feeling feisty tonight. Midd 8-5
Nameless: Harding and Gonzalez-Rico dropped a surprising match against a feisty Chicago team, and Hughes and Schossberger narrowly lost to a very good Yu-Dice. Both teams are looking to bounce back in the semis, but I’m going to give the edge to the Eagles. This Eagles pairing plays an aggressive two up game, which I think will throw Midd off and create some great opportunities, but don’t expect this to be a blowout. Emory wins 8-4.
#2 doubles: Anna Fuhr/Stephanie Taylor (Emory) vs. Catherine Blayze/Maddi Stow (Midd)
ASW: Both teams won today and obviously play very solid doubles. I like the Senior/Freshman pair of Fuhr and Taylor, so I’m going to go with my in region pick. Emory 8-4
Nameless: Both teams marched to victory in their respective QF matches, with Blayze and Stow holding off a fighting Wes pair. I think, though, that Fuhr and Taylor are just too good, and are hot on a winning streak. Emory wins 8-3.
#3 doubles: Daniela Lopez/Katie Chang (Emory) vs. Ann Martin Skelly/Heather Boehm (Midd)
ASW: Hm. This one is a toss up to me. Emory’s #3 team did well today, but I’m not sure how much predictive value that has against a team with a lot more doubles success on their resume. I was feeling zesty in calling the Midd win at #1 doubles, so I’m going to put my faith in my ASouth girls Lopez and Chang. Emory 8-6
Nameless: Emory’s third dubs pair really stepped it up today and ran away with the win over Chicago. On the other side of the net, as what seemed to be the trend in the Midd/Wes QF, Skelly and Boehm had a fairly close match. We called this spot Emory’s biggest weak point in our preview over the weekend, and even though they proved us wrong against Chicago, I just can’t call an Emory sweep here. Midd wins 8-6.
#1 singles: Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico (Emory) vs. Christina Puccinelli (Midd)
ASW: I honestly don’t know much about Puccinelli and I really can’t judge her based on results against Eudice. Gonzalez-Rico played a very impressive first set today against Handa. I don’t think this one will finish. Emory up 7-5, 2-5
Nameless: Gonzalez-Rico blew through Handa in the first set, but was unable to finish the match before it was clinched. Puccinelli had the great misfortune of stacking up against Eudice, who steamrolled through her 0 and 2. I like the way Gonzalez-Rico is playing, and so far, she’s proven that nerves aren’t playing a big role for her. I’m going with the freshman – Emory wins 6-3, 6-3.
#2 singles: Bridget Harding (Emory) vs. Katy Hughes (Midd)
ASW: I don’t think this one will finish either. Shoutout to Hughes for avoiding that loss today. Also shoutout to Harding for coming back from a rough first set. Both these girls are fighters. I think they’ll split but I don’t know which way. 6-3, 3-6, 1-1
Nameless: Harding really surprised me going down so quickly in the first to Antohi. But she bounced back quickly and showed how important experience is, and also what a phenomenal player she is. Hughes also put up a fantastic match, pushing Victoria Yu in a very close second set. Both ladies seem to be playing well, so I don’t think this will finish. Emory leads 7-5, 3-2.
#3 singles: Daniela Lopez (Emory) vs. Heather Boehm (Midd)
ASW: Lopez made me a little nervous today. Boehm proved to be tough against a fighting Budhiraja. I think currently Boehm is more solid under pressure. Midd 6-3, 6-4
Nameless: Boehm took care of business against Wes, despite a challenge in the second set (this seems to have been the trend of this QF – huge shoutout to Wes for fighting!!). Lopez dropped a quick first set to Xu before keeping it close in the second. Going into the tournament, I would’ve picked Lopez, but Boehm looks to be playing some great tennis. Midd takes this 7-5, 6-3.
#4 singles: Defne Olcay (Emory) vs. Catherine Blayze (Midd)
ASW: Both girls played really well today and were instrumental in their team’s victory. This will be much closer than either of their matches today, but ultimately I think Emory will simply have more momentum as a team and this will push Olcay over the edge in two tight sets. Emory 7-5, 6-3
Nameless: Olcay made quick work of Navarro in the quarters and Midd Bla(y)zed through Wes (I’m so sorry, I just can’t help myself). Both girls are on fire, and I think this will be a very competitive match. At the end of the day, I think Olcay will clinch a nailbiter to send her team to their sixth (!!!) consecutive Championship match. Emory wins 6-4, 6-4.
#5 singles: Stephanie Taylor (Emory) vs. Skylar Schossberger (Midd)
ASW: Taylor is playing too well right now. She’s one of the best 5s out there, and a tired Schossberger is going to have her hands full. I expect her to put up a fight in the first set but after a late day today it will be tough to get the upper hand on a fresh and motivated Taylor. Emory 6-4, 6-1
Nameless: Taylor had a fantastic QF going 2-0 in match play. Schossberger played two very tough matches against Wes and ultimately came out 0-1 (her marathon singles match went unfinished) on the day. I’m sure the Midd sophomore will be out for vengeance, but will likely be very tired after her QF matches. Taylor looked too solid, and with her fresh(er) legs, I’m picking Emory to take this one. Emory wins 6-3, 6-1.
#6 singles: Emma Perelman (Emory) vs. Maddi Stow (Midd)
ASW: OK I just wanted to say that both matches today were clinched by #6 singles. It’s a thing people. (See prior article where I talk about my weird but very strong belief that #6 singles is the most important match in D3 tennis.) Both girls are really playing lights out but I think Emma Perelman is too consistent and will get an early lead and never look back. She’ll also probably clinch. Emory 6-2, 6-4
Nameless: Perelman came up clutch to clinch the match over Chicago to send the Eagles to yet another Final Four. Stow also clinched the match for Midd, fighting off a Wes second set surge. Both players are playing great tennis, and I think this match will be pretty tight, and, ultimately, won’t get to finish. Emory leads 7-6 (3), 1-2.
Overall:
ASW: Emory wins 5-2.
Nameless: This year’s Middlebury team is fearless and hungry – a dangerous combination for the Eagles. However, I think Emory is just as hungry and has experience on their side, and will ultimately continue their legacy of success and earn a spot in the finals. Expect this one to be a thriller with some close matches and great tennis! Emory wins 5-2.
While we didn’t predict that Emory would win the same matches, Nameless and I agreed that Emory would win by a score of 5-2. The match will most certainly be closer than the score suggests though (a la Midd vs Wes today, which was literal points away from a 5-4 match). However, Middlebury has a lot of room to surprise us, and I would honestly not be shocked if they took a doubles lead. Hope you all enjoyed the quarterfinal matches as much as we did and are looking forward to the continued excitement tomorrow!
Great coverage of the womens side. Thank you for the “feisty” previews!