Howdy tennis fans! I’m back with the second half recap of spring break! This time, I’m joined by Blog newcomer, D3 Women’s Analyst. She’s dope, knows so much about the D3 world, and is far more detail oriented than I am, so working with her on this article was such a pleasure! Everyone go follow her on Twitter – @D3WomensAnalyst. Anyways, the end of the Northeast’s spring break was fairly uneventful with no major upsets, but there were defi nitely some matches of note. To me, it honestly seems like Emory and CMS may be separating themselves from the pack this year, but only time will tell on that one. Anyways, read on to see how your favorite Northeast teams wrapped up their adventures in the sunshine!
14 Bowdoin (Part II)
Spring break location: California
Spring break record: 6-0
Results (since halftime report): Bowdoin def. Trinity 9-0, Bowdoin def. 37 Redlands 9-0
Let me start off by saying, even though I’m a *sucker* for the annual Tuft’s Men’s team spring break music video, Bowdoin ladies got them beat this year. Also seeing Hobie floss was maybe the highlight of my month. The Polar Bears certainly had some extra down time in the second week of their trip out West, as the California rains literally rained on their parade. But that didn’t stop the Polar Bears from having a very successful spring break campaign. Plus, we got a dope music video out of it, I’m cool. JK I was really sad that their two marquee events (vs. PP and CMS) were cancelled. I was looking forward to seeing how this NE team fared against the two West powerhouses. PP is having a great year, and it would’ve been cool to see how Bowdoin stacked up. Anyways, we can’t cry over spilt milk, but what we can do is recap the last 2 matches of the Bowdoin spring break. (Sidenote: if you didn’t catch the first half of my spring break report, check it out here). Bowdoin continued the trend that they displayed at the beginning of their spring break. They won where expected and asserted their position in the 7-15 range of teams. I’ve been very impressed with this young Bowdoin team, so I’m very curious to see how their matches against fellow NESCAC foes go over the next few months.
NR Colby
Spring break location: California
Spring break record: 4-1
Results: Colby def. Pacific Lutheran 9-0, 20 Caltech def. Colby 8-1, Colby def. 37 Redlands, Colby def. Willamette 9-0, Colby def. 39 Chapman 7-2
So I know Colby is not ranked as of the last rankings, BUT I feel strongly that they should be. I know people are probably going to attack me for being biased to the NESCAC again, but the Mules just had a huge win over #37 Redlands – how does that not allow them to crack the top 40? All this aside, Colby also had a pretty routine spring break. I don’t know too much about Pacific Lutheran, but the Mules did not struggle with them. They lost pretty handily to #20 Caltech, which I would have expected, and the surprise of the break was the aforementioned upset over Redlands. To be completely honest, I don’t know a ton about the Colby program this year or historically, but I’d say there’s some fire power coming from this team this year. They now return home to play some conference and random (Thomas and Husson) matches. The big question is – will they maybe nab a spot in the end of year NESCAC tournie? Only time will tell…
5 Midd
Spring break location: California
Spring break record: 4-1
Results: Midd def. Cal State LA 5-2, Midd def. 39 Chapman 7-2, Midd def. 4 Pomona-Pitzer 5-4, Midd def. 37 Redlands 8-1, 2 CMS def. Midd 8-1
Middlebury is a team that barely missed making the NCAA championship match last year, and given that they graduated no seniors and gained three freshmen, we had (and still have) high expectations for this team. During their spring break, they showed that they are a top-tier team in the nation and deserve to be ranked in the top five with their 5-4 win over Pomona-Pitzer. They also earned expected wins over Chapman and Redlands, and a win over DII Cal State LA. However, if Middlebury wants to advance further in NCAAs than last year, they will need to compete much better than they did during their thumping by CMS. Their performance against CMS was underwhelming, as Middlebury was swept in doubles, and the only close match was #2 singles, where Heather Boehm earned Middlebury’s sole point with a win over Nicole Tan. (Speaking of Boehm, I think she deserves a shout-out for going undefeated so far this season, and especially for clinching her team’s win over Pomona by beating Maria Lyven, one of the strongest #2 singles players in the nation.) I wouldn’t be surprised if Middlebury was exhausted by the fifth match of their trip, but even so, the convincing win by CMS makes me a little worried for Middlebury. I’m still high on Midd, but after that loss to CMS, it’s looking more and more like Emory and CMS are separating themselves from the pack this year. Looking forward to NESCAC competition, I think Middlebury has a team that can beat any other NESCAC team if they perform to their potential, but if their level drops like it seems to have done during the CMS loss, I think Amherst, Wesleyan, and maybe even Williams, would take advantage.
17 MIT
Spring break location: California
Spring break record: 2-0
Results: MIT def. Highline 8-0, MIT def. 20 Caltech 7-2
MIT traveled to California for their spring break, where they won two matches and got in some time at the Happiest Place on Earth. With only one match against a ranked team, it’s hard to gain too much insight from their results. MIT cruised through their opening match against a junior college. Their second and final match was against Caltech, a team that has soared into the rankings this season and shown they can compete. It was a good performance from MIT to win the match in a pretty straightforward fashion, with an especially strong showing in singles. MIT had a rough start to the season at Indoor Nationals, with a loss to Wash U hurting their record. Since then, freshman Viktoriya Tabunshchyk has come back into the lineup at #1 doubles and #2 singles, and Libby Rickeman has earned wins at #1 singles against Brandeis and Caltech (after not winning a match at Indoors). Although the win over Caltech is a positive sign for MIT, it was the expected result. If MIT hopes to propel themselves higher in the rankings, they will need to perform against higher-ranked teams, and the chances they have to do so are against Bowdoin and Tufts in April.
7 Tufts
Spring break location: California
Spring break record: 2-2
Results: Tufts def. 37 Redlands 5-4, 2 CMS def. Tufts 9-0, Tufts def. 8 Williams 5-4, 4 Pomona-Pitzer def. Tufts 7-2
Fact number one: Tufts beat the 37st-ranked team in the nation 5-4. Fact number two: Tufts beat the 8th-ranked team in the nation 5-4. I don’t quite know how to make sense of those results. I think a couple of factors may be involved. First, they’re a very young team, with only three upperclassmen on the roster, and I think young teams tend to have more ups and downs, especially early on in the season. Mina Karamercan, who has been a staple high in the Tufts lineup for three years, is no longer on the roster, and doubles specialist Otilia Popa, also a senior, hasn’t played a match this spring. Second, Tufts seems to be experimenting with its lineup, which may be a factor of trying to allow injured players to rest, trying to decide what their doubles teams and singles ordering should be, or both. Freshman Maggie Dorr was in and out of the lineup at #1 singles during their trip, and the only doubles pairing that remained constant was #3 doubles. While the 5-4 result against Redlands was undoubtedly concerning for Tufts, the win over Williams was definitely a great win for the young team. Regardless of how Williams’s level compares this year to that of past years, it’s a big accomplishment to take a win over a NESCAC foe for the first time since 1991, and Tufts should be proud of that. Tufts isn’t at the CMS/Pomona-Pitzer/Middlebury tier this season, but only time will tell how they stack up in the NESCAC this year. Following their spring break, they already suffered a 7-2 loss to Bowdoin, and I think Tufts will struggle against the even stronger teams of Amherst and Wesleyan as well. I think this Tufts team has potential, but may be subject to sporadic results, and if they were to face Williams again this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Williams come out on top.
NR Wellesley
Spring break location: Orlando, FL
Spring break record: 2-1
Results: 27 Denison def. Wellesley 9-0, Wellesley def. Wis-Oshkosh 9-0, Wellesley def. Pacific 9-0
So, Wellesley actually fell out of the most recent set of national rankings, but we recapped Colby so it’s only fair that Wellesley gets a blurb too. That being said, my guess is that Wellesley won’t re-emerge in the rankings this season. Their spring break to Orlando consisted only of shutout matches. Wellesley suffered a 0-9 loss to #27 Denison in which only #6 singles was a close match, then took two 9-0 victories. Wellesley’s only hope of qualifying for NCAAs would be winning the NEWMAC championship, and that is not likely to happen. MIT is performing at a much higher level than Wellesley, and I actually also expect an underrated Babson team, with a pair of strong returning sophomores and a sophomore transfer from a Division I school, to challenge Wellesley for second place in NEWMAC.
8 Williams
Spring break location: California
Spring break record: 2-4
Results: Williams def. Sewanee 7-2, 4 Pomona-Pitzer def. Williams 9-0, 8 Tufts def. Williams 5-4, 2 CMS def. Williams 9-0, UCSD def. Williams 5-2, Williams def. 9 Chicago 7-2
As was expected, Williams fell in the rankings (only 3 spots though!) as a result of their performance over spring break. I will say, however, that they did redeem themselves slightly in my eyes with their convincing win over Chicago – a team I was pretty high on earlier in the season. After this spring break, I’m honestly pretty confused about the Williams team, and where they fit in on a national level. I thought their loss (albeit close) to Tufts was an indication that they had really fallen from grace this year, but coming back and delivering a thumping to Chicago has me spinning a bit. Maybe the Ephs are now in an upward trajectory after an initial settling period that plagued their early season matches. The Ephs look like they’re still experimenting to create that dubs magic, but their singles lineup seems to be pretty steady. Notably missing from the lineup is sophomore, Rachel Cross, who I’m assuming is still recovering from foot / ankle surgery (heal fast, Rachel!). Having Cross back in the lineup would be huge for Williams, as she really impressed during her freshman campaign. I’m interested to see what the spring holds for the Ephs, but for now, they head back to their [hopefully not too] cold abode to prepare for NESCAC battle.
Well that’s it for now, folks! Huge shoutout to Analyst for collaborating with me on this article – big things are coming, y’all! Keep checking the Blog for some fire new content coming your way from all us women’s writers, and as always feel free to drop us a comment or @ us on Twitter if you wanna talk D3 tennis or just engage with a hilarious group of gals.
-NEW