2019 Women’s Indoors Preview: #2 Emory v #12Sewanee, #8PP v #11CMU

INDOORS IS HERE! Indoors is the unofficial start of the *real* D3 season and though a lot of our friends from the Northeast can’t join us, this weekend is promising some really solid tennis and close matches. On March 1st, 8 of the top teams in the country will be traveling to Nashville, TN where Sewanee is hosting the ITA Indoor National Championships. Two teams from the West coast will be gracing us with their presence, and a big question mark on the weekend will obviously be how they handle the indoor courts. I’m honestly not sure if there are any indoor courts in California to practice on, but I’m guessing both CMS and PP will be arriving at least a few days early to practice.

The blog is hot right now after all the men’s Indoors coverage (shout out to the ChazHands, the worst Draftkings team this year and possibly the worst of all time), so the women’s side is going to try to get out quite a few Indoors articles this year.  We decided to pair our previews so today I’m (D3ASW) coming at you with the help of D3WestW to preview the Emory/Sewanee match and the Pomona-Pitzer/CMU match! Tomorrow we’ll preview the other two matches so keep an eye out for that.

No 2. Seed #2 Emory vs. No. 7 Seed #12 Sewanee

I know I’ve said this before but why does Sewanee always get stuck with Emory? We haven’t seen any evidence over the past 10 years to suggest that Sewanee will win this match, and it’s really unfortunate that even though Sewanee isn’t seeded 8 this year like they were last year, they still managed to draw Emory first round due to Emory being seeded 2 (though to me they’re the favorites to win). Emory is trying to win their third consecutive Indoor Championship but this year they’re not actually coming in as the number 1 seed. As you’ll see below, the predicted lineups are a little sketchy but we’re going to go through match by match.

Doubles: Just a note on doubles lineups – so far both Emory and Sewanee have played 3 and 4 dual matches respectively, with doubles lineup changes in every single match to date. For these predictions I am going with the most recent teams that competed for each school but if the pattern holds then these won’t be the teams we see out there this weekend. I don’t think this will change the result in the end but take these previews with a grain of salt!

#1 Doubles: Daniela Lopez/Emma Cartledge (EU) vs. Catherine Owen/Ellie Czura (SEW)

ASW: Although I’m not positive that this will be the #1 Emory team that we see out there this weekend, I think that Emory has the clear advantage here regardless of who steps into this spot. Emory’s team is just too deep and we have the advantage of being able to draw conclusions from the Fall Regionals, where Emory pretty thoroughly dominated Sewanee on the doubles side. Sewanee’s Owen has some experience at the #1 doubles position, and this match will definitely be close at the beginning while Emory is still trying to get into form, but at the end of the day I think Emory will take this pretty comfortably. Emory 8-5

#2 Doubles: Katie Chang/Defne Olcay (EU) vs. Lilly Stephens/Jordan Besh (SEW)

ASW: Here we have a freshmen team in Sewanee vs a sophomore team in Emory. The lack of experience on Sewanee’s side certainly won’t help. Again, I have to put the advantage firmly on the Emory side on this one, with more combined experience and probably a little more talent, they should win comfortably. Emory 8-4

#3 Doubles: Jessica Fatemi/Lauren Yoon (EU) vs. Caroline Adams/Mary Jane McCaghren (SEW)

ASW: This is a match that I see potentially being close, and if Emory were to lose a match it would be here. Again we have three freshman and an upperclassman – Sewanee’s McCaghren is a senior but saw limited match play last year. Fatemi paired with Gonzalez-Rico to win Regionals this fall so she clearly knows her way around the doubles court, but Indoors is a considerably bigger stage and the freshman team might experience a few hiccups early on, giving Sewanee the ability to take an early lead. Even so, I think the Emory freshmen will pull it out. Emory 8-6

Singles: A note before I dive into singles – Catherine Owen (Sewanee 1/2 singles) played in only one match so far this spring. Will she be at indoors? Hopefully she isn’t injured. I’m assuming that she’s healthy and I’m going to put her in at #1 singles where I anticipate she would be if she was playing. Also, I’m not positive on the bottoms half of the lineups for either team. Emory hasn’t been tested in a dual match yet so their previous lineups are not reliable. Like in doubles, I don’t think the lineups will make a difference at the end of the day, but I apologize in advance for being completely off on these.

#1 Singles: Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico (EU) vs. Catherine Owen (SEW)

ASW: Owen is a great player and has earned her spot at #1 singles, but it will be a bit tough to come out and compete against the current best player in the country. Gonzalez-Rico has shown no signs of letting up on her dominance. Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico 6-2, 6-1

#2 Singles: Daniela Lopez (EU)  vs. Ellie Czura (SEW)

ASW: Here we have two upperclassmen going head to head. Czura played mostly #3 singles last year, whereas Lopez also played #3 singles last year but is a singles All-American. Lopez won their encounter easily last year by a score of 6-3, 6-1. Czura will have home court advantage this time but I still think Lopez will prove too much for her. Daniela Lopez 6-1, 6-1

#3 Singles: Lauren Yoon (EU) vs. Mary Jane McCaghren (SEW)

ASW: Yoon has risen above all of her freshmen competitors in the lineup so far this season so I expect to see some really solid tennis from her. McCaghren definitely has the advantage of being a senior but she saw pretty limited singles play last year. I still think Emory has the advantage. Lauren Yoon 6-4, 6-2

#4 Singles: Emma Cartledge (EU) vs. Caroline Adams (EU)

ASW: This is the freshman v freshman battle we’ve all been waiting for. Based on fall play, where Cartledge made the quarters of regionals before losing to Lopez while Adams lost in the second round to Millsaps, Cartledge has the edge. Emma Cartledge 6-3, 6-3

#5 Singles: Defne Olcay (EU) vs. Haley Tucker (SEW)

ASW: I can see Olcay playing higher in the lineup but oh well. I had to pick an order. Haley Tucker is a senior who played #5 last year and is back at it again this year for more. I think she’ll be able to hold her own in this match but Olcay will be too tough. Defne Olcay 7-5, 6-3

#6 Singles: Stephanie Taylor (EU) vs. Jordan Besh (SEW)

ASW: Again, it just comes down to the fact that Emory has more depth than Sewanee. Besh is a freshman going up against a player who won matches in the final rounds of the NCAA tournament last year. It’s a tough draw for Sewanee. Stephanie Taylor 6-2, 6-2

Predictions:

ASW: Emory 9-0

Central: Emory 8-1

NEW: Emory 8-1

West: Emory 9-0

No. 3 Seed # 8 Pomona-Pitzer vs. No. 6 Seed #11 CMU

This is a match that I’m excited for. I did the match by match predictions first and I was honestly surprised at the end by how convincingly I’m expected the lower seeded CMU to win it. My co-bloggers are expecting the match to be closer and I suspect they may be right. D3WestW is here to help fill my glaring knowledge gaps about this Pomona-Pitzer team. Let’s take a look.

Doubles: Ok I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot here but the CMU doubles lineup has changed in basically every match they have played so far. The CMU players probably don’t even know their doubles lineup at this point. CMU’s Coach Girard has been known to change doubles lineups mid-season (legend has it he once changed it mid-match) so we’re going to do our best here.

#1 Doubles: Caroline Casper/Jay Kim (PP) vs. Danna Taylor/Melissa Strome (CMU)

ASW: Danna Taylor and Melissa Strome have played really well so far together this year. Since doubles is played first I think they will come out really strong while Casper and Kim are trying to get their bearings on the indoor surface. CMU 8-4

#2 Doubles: Marghi Andreassi/Maria Lyven (PP) vs. Vinaya Rao/Courtney Ollis (CMU)

ASW: This is a match that will be very close in skill level but I think Rao and Ollis are vets at this point and will be playing against freshman on an unfamiliar surface in one of their first big matches. CMU 8-3

#3 Doubles: Arianna Chen/Lucy Jiang (PP) vs. Jamie Vizelman/Janabelle Wu (CMU)

ASW: This is another tough call for me but I think CMU and Pomona will split 2 and 3 doubles so I’m calling the Pomona win here. Pomona 8-5

Singles:

#1 Singles: Caroline Casper (PP) vs. Danna Taylor (CMU)

West: This should be a great match between two of the top players in D3, but I have to go with the senior here. Indoors is an environment where it’s easy to get overwhelmed, and Casper has been there many times before and has the benefit of experience on her side. Nonetheless, I think Taylor will show the game that propelled her to an ITA cup appearance this fall in a 3-set showdown. Casper 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

ASW: This will be one of the marquee matches of the day. I think Casper brings a lot of experience to the table which will be hard for Taylor to compete against as a freshman stepping into the #1 singles/#1 doubles role. Taylor clearly has a lot of talent, but Casper has talent and experience. The only wild card is the indoor courts. If Casper is flat footed that day then Taylor could quickly surprise her. Casper 2-6, 7-5, 6-4

#2 Singles: Maria Lyven (PP) vs. Jamie Vizelman (CMU)

West: Similar to my rationale above, I’m going with experience here. As I touted in my PP season preview, I think Lyven’s game is legit, but Vizelman’s got a ton of resilience and this ain’t her first rodeo. Vizelman 7-5, 6-4

ASW: i agree with West. I think Vizelman is proof that you can work your way up to the top of the lineup through the years and be very successful. She has played very well so far this year and I think she’ll get into that Indoors groove quickly. Vizelman 6-3, 7-5

#3 Singles: Arianna Chen (PP) vs. Janabelle Ru (CMU)

West: Here’s where things start getting tight for both teams, and I think we’ll learn a lot about the new depth that each team will have this year in this match. Chen’s coming off a tough super-breaker loss at Caltech, but that’s doesn’t come with the shame it has in years past and I see her bounding back. Chen 6-3, 6-2

ASW: Like West said, this is where things are tough. Chen is solid but I think I’m going to give Wu this one because of the indoor surface and the fact that CMU has traditionally performed very well at indoors in years past. Wu 6-4, 6-4

# 4 Singles: Marghi Andreassi (PP) vs. Vinaya Rao (CMU)

West: My picks from here on out are more speculative than anything else, because we haven’t seen a lot of tennis from the freshman yet. Moving down in the lineup compared to last season should help Rao here. Rao 6-2, 5-7, 6-3

ASW: Rao brings in a little more experience here and after a tough year last year she deserves this win. Rao 6-4, 6-1

#5 Singles: Jay Kim (PP) vs. Beata Liberchuk (CMU)

West: Kim, like Chen, lost to Caltech last week and I worry what it says about P-P’s depth this year. Liberchuk’s been good so far against lower-tier competition, and we don’t have a lot to go off of. Liberchuk 6-4, 6-2

ASW: I know very little about either of these players but I get the feeling Liberchuk is going to win. Liberchuk 6-3, 6-4

#6 Singles: Melisha Dogra (PP) vs. Melissa Strome (CMU)

West: Kim, like Chen, lost to Caltech last week and I worry what it says about P-P’s depth this year. Strome was solid at #5 when she played last season, so I’m going with the Tartans here. Strome 6-1, 6-1

ASW: Like the previoustwo matches I’m not very familiar with either of these players but I think CMU has the advantage for the sole reason that they seem to be much stronger than last year and Pomona-Pitzer is looking a little weaker. Also indoor surface. Strome 6-4, 6-2

Predictions:

ASW: CMU 7-2

Central: CMU 5-4

NEW: PP 6-3

West: CMU 5-4

That was fun. Make sure to check back tomorrow for our previews of the remaining two matches! And obviously March 1st the fun begins. There will be live streaming and possible live scoring, though with twitter it should be pretty easy to follow along. Get excited!