Everyone knows that the east coast is 3 hours ahead of the west coast, so it only makes sense that your west region previews are 3 weeks behind everyone else, right? We haven’t had to deal with the polar vortex yet, but Seattle has started looting their Whole Foods so there’s no better time for me to get writing. While the West doesn’t have the depth of some of the other regions if you look at the start-of-year rankings, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. If I had a dime for every time my coach told me that…let’s just say I wouldn’t be blogging for y’all right now. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the #21 Trinity (TX) Tigers!
Location: San Antonio, TX
Coach: Gretchen Rush (5th season)
ITA National Ranking: 21
ITA Regional Ranking: 3
Twitter Handle: @TU_WTennis
Nothing like nasty drop shots followed by cute dogs to get me ready for the season!
2017-18 finish: We saw what we’ve come to expect from the Tigers in recent years — rolling through the SCAC with no real challenges and then getting swept by the Sagehens in the Round of 32. But with a lot of returning talent, this could be the year Coach Gretchen’s squad returns to making national waves.
Key additions: The Tigers have a solid southwest class coming in, with four firstyears on the roster: Hailey Feuer (3 star from Phoenix, AZ), Megan Flores (3 star; Houston, TX), Jillian Greenberg (2 star; Bellaire, TX), and Abby Watson (Tucson, AZ)
Key departures: Marie Lutz (#2/#3 doubles), Cheyenne Duncan (#2/#3 doubles)
Bold prediction: The Tigers get through a tough non-conference schedule with key wins against Whitman and Johns Hopkins to pick up their first top 15 ranking since Coach Gretchen returned to San Antonio.
Lineup analysis
The Tigers return almost their full lineup, including All-American Caroline Kutach at the top spot and the Kaffens at #1 dubs. The new faces should help bolster the middle of the lineup and bring depth the Tigers lacked last year. This is a team with a lot of match experience and upperclassman leadership, and that should serve them well when they get into tight matches with other teams in the teens and 20s.
1. Caroline Kutach (SR)
Kutach has been the Tigers’ rock, playing at #2 her first two seasons and stepping up nicely at the #1 spot, including a win over CMS’ Allen. She finished the season 14-6 with All-American honors. While Caroline hasn’t had the tournament success she’d like, she’s shown flashes of being able to hit with the best DIII has to offer. The big thing for her will be consistency; if the Tigers can count on her for points at the #1 spot they’ll be able to give anyone a run for their money.
2. Ashley DeBauge (JR)
The junior from Emporia, KS was a nice surprise for Trinity last year, starting in the 4-5 range and becoming a solid #2 player by the end of the season. Wins against Amherst, Whitman, Redlands, and Bowdoin were nice feathers in her cap, and DeBauge finished the season winning 10 of her last 11 matches. She won’t be a singles-only player this year; likely seeing more action at the #3 doubles spot.
3. Zoe Kaffen (JR)
Zoe moved around a lot last year, starting the season at #2 before falling to #5 and then ending up right in the middle. Like most of the lineup, SCAC play isn’t an issue for her and it’s the national matches where she has the most challenges. If one of the freshman step up to take the #3 spot, she’ll be a force in the bottom half of the lineup.
4. Andrea de Leon (SR)
de Leon struggled to find her footing last year, though if there’s one thing you can count on in DIII it’s that seniors BRING IT for their final season. With the class of 2019 counting down the days, they tend to make every match count and we see that fire come out in tight matches. I won’t be surprised if de Leon acts as a clincher this year to make some lasting Tiger memories.
5. Hailey Feuer (FY)
I’m sure Phoenix juniors are happy to not play Hailey anymore, though they still have to deal with her sister Jaiden. We didn’t get to see Feuer in ITAs earlier this year, but the first year transfer from Hofstra just put DIII on notice beating a D1 player in Maria Maldonado (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi).
6. Megan Flores (FY)
Flores had herself a nice fall, partnering with Kutach to take 3rd in doubles and making the singles quarters at ITAs. I doubt the 3-star will have any issues in conference play; the goal for her will be to make those 3rd, 4th, and 5th shots in a row to win points against the human backboards she’ll play nationally.
Schedule Analysis
The Tigers have a serious slate of early season matches coming up, another reason I needed to get this preview out. They’ll be heading to Cruz next weekend for a quad to determine the 3rd-best team in the west, playing UCSC, #33 Chapman, and #27 Whitman. The match against the Blues could have major post-season implications — even though both teams should win their conference (and get automatic bids), the head-to-head will be a big factor in determining seeding in a Claremont NCAA regional, or sending one of them to be a #2 or #3 seed in an easier region.
The following weekend won’t get any easier as Trinity hosts #13 Wash U in their highest-ranked match of the year. As mentioned above, this could be the match the Tigers put themselves back on the national map. If they don’t beat Wash U, they’ll have a chance to beat another storied DIII program in Johns Hopkins in mid-March.
While I love me some Pirates, I don’t see #34 Southwestern or the other SCAC teams pushing TU this year. After the SCAC tourney (hosted by Austin this year) Coach Gretchen’s squad heads to California for the Ojai, which I feel has lost some of its luster recently (any other West regioners feel this way?). All in all, I see a good season in the cards for the Tigers and if they can pull off an upset vs. Wash U it would pain me to see the NCAA send them to Claremont for the umpteenth year in a row. Let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to check back soon for more West region previews!
Your previews are worth the 3 week wait! Great job!
Thanks!! You and NEW set a high bar 😀
Great! Think they play u Indy over spring break. That’s a fun matchup