Well boys and girls, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. National Championship day is here! We had a rollercoaster ride of a morning, and I’m not going to lie and say I wasn’t hyperventilating as Almy took down Fatemi to send the Cards to the NCAA finals. Plus, we cannot overlook CMS’ resounding thump over a fiery and inspired Midd. Anywho, I’m so pumped to be part of this final preview because according to my predictions, neither of my teams were going to make it to the finals. Anyways, you’ve got two teams who have had stellar seasons AND who have never played one another this year. I think this one has the makings of a classic, and if we just look at Wesleyan’s performance today, we can count on them to bring the fire and maybe the drama. I’m so excited to team up with West for this preview since we don’t really get to work a ton together, and right now I’m imagining West yelling at me for taking so long to post this (sorry!). Ok, ladies and gents, here are your contenders for the 2019 National Championship.
#2 CMS
Why they’ll win: They’re the defending natty champs, they crushed Midd today and should be confident coming into the big dance. Their doubles has been fantastic, they’ve got the deepest singles lineup in the country, and they have national championship experience. You can’t underestimate the value of being on this stage before when matches get tight.
Why they won’t: Nothing in NCAAs is ever easy. I had Emory winning vs. Wes today but the Cards came out on fire, forced the Eagles to earn it at every spot, and they couldn’t. Things happen at Nationals and even though the Athenas are favored in my mind you can never be sure how they handle the pressure. Wes has gone through Midd at NESCAC, MIT in the quarters, and Emory in the Final Four. At no point have they shown any signs of slowing down.
#4 Wesleyan
Why they’ll win: Wes is riding an 11-match win streak coming into tomorrow’s match and the fight they showed today was pretty damn impressive. This Wes team has the fire lit and they have marched with it all the way to the natty champ match.
Why they won’t: They’re up against the defending national champions who had little trouble with Midd today. If Wes is going to take the big trophy home, they’re going to have to come guns blazing and everyone on their game.
Match rundown:
#1 doubles: Caroline Cox / Catherine Allen (CMS) vs. Victoria Yu / Kristina Yu (WES)
NEW: While I might not be as punny and creative as West, I can certainly appreciate the textbook definition of doubles that is Cox and Allen. I seriously feel like they’ve been playing together for years, so I don’t really know how neither of them are seniors yet. Anyways, the Yu sisters have had a phenomenal nationals so far, and I’m expecting one to be close. CMS 8-6
West: At least two things I love about this matchup: 1) how beautiful it is to watch Cox/Allen play dubs and 2) the amount of hashtags I can make with Wes’ #doubleYu combo. Both of these teams are excellent, though it’s hard to bet against Cox and Allen with the way they’re playing right now, and the way they’ve played all season. I’m going with them against #YuTwo CMS 8-6
#2 doubles: Sarah Bahsoun / Nicole Tan (CMS) vs. Venia Yeung / Polina Kiseleva (WES)
NEW: Yeung and Kiseleva are absolutely on fire, and have been playing so well together all season. The Athenas were pushed by Midd to a tiebreak and managed to sneak away with the win, but against a team like this Wes one, I’m not so sure they’ll be as lucky. Wes 8-6
West: I think this will be the closest doubles match, and it should be another joy to watch. Tan and Bahsoun pulled out a clutch tiebreak win against Midd today, and Yeung & Kiseleva took it to Emory to give the Cards a crucial doubles lead. I’ve been a fan of the Athenas 2 dubs team all season, but I think the combo of Tan’s injury and Yeung/Kiseleva being a bit sharper give Wes this point. Wes 8-5
#3 doubles: Sydney Lee / Madison Shea (CMS) vs. Alexis Almy / Alissa Nakamoto (WES)
NEW: I’ve been really impressed with Almy and Nakamoto this year, but today they were a bit of a disappointment for me. I wanted them to play better and falling quickly to Emory was not what I had in mind. Lee and Shea, on the other hand, fought back from a 3-6 deficit against Midd to force a tiebreaker. And while they weren’t able to pull it out in the end, that’s the kind of fight and grit I’m looking for. CMS 8-5
West: Swing match alert! We saw two tiebreaks in our Final Four doubles matches today and these teams are all so closely matched I bet we see another. Lee and Shea lost a marathon breaker 11-9 against Midd, saving tons of match points, and this is their chance at redemption. Almy and Nakamoto took an 8-4 loss today vs. Emory, and will also be looking to bounce back. CMS 8-7(6)
#1 singles: Catherine Allen (CMS) vs. Victoria Yu (WES)
NEW: West said it all below. This one is going to be a classic and will be Victoria Yu’s last collegiate team match. The Wes senior is going to want to leave it all on the court, but Allen has been playing so well and totally rolled over Boehm today, which should not be overlooked. This one’s super hard to pick, but I’m going against my home region and saying CMS will take this one. CMS 7-6, 6-2
West: Like seemingly every #1 match this week, both these players are some of the best in the nation. Even though Wesleyan hasn’t played CMS yet, these two should be pretty familiar with each other as they met in the individuals semifinals last year. While Yu took that match, I’d give the edge to Allen here. She’s [the only D3 player] to take a set off Ysa this year and is coming off a 6-1, 6-0 drubbing of Midd’s Heather Boehm. Yu took a hard-fought loss to Gonzalez-Rico today, and I think the senior comes out firing in her last college match. In the end though, I’m going with Catniss – if the championship has to come down to one match she’s the first to volunteer as tribute. CMS 6-3, 5-6 (unfinished)
#2 singles: Nicole Tan (CMS) vs. Venia Yeung (WES)
NEW: This is the match I would say is the most likely to be clear cut. Tan has not been on her game the past two days falling to both Hughes and Viezelman in pretty quick matches. While I was worried about Yeung after she lost against MIT, she seems to have shaken any first-trip-to-nationals nerves, as she handled Lopez with ease. I like her odds in this match and barring any huge nerves, I’d say she’ll take this one. Wes 6-4, 6-2
West: Yeung played lights out against EU’s Lopez today, and if she’s painting the corners with drive volleys again I don’t think there’s much anyone can do to stop her. Meanwhile, Tan’s had a rough few days with a rolled ankle limiting her in singles. Tough break for her, especially after she played injured during last year’s NCAAs too (I think it was her wrist). Wes 6-1, 6-1
#3 singles: Rebecca Berger (CMS) vs. Kristina Yu (WES)
NEW: Berger was in for the long run against Puccinelli today, while Yu fell to Olcay in straights. I’ve been super impressed by both players all season, and I think this one will be a battle. Ultimately, though, you know I love going with experience, and when you’re in the finals of NCAAs, what could be more important? Plus, as West pointed out, Berger clinched it for the Athenas last year…CMS 6-4, 6-3
West: Berger and Puccinelli were in for a classic today before CMS clinched, while Yu played tough against Defne Olcay but fell in straight sets. Both of these players made nationals; let’s not rehash the silly discussion we had last week because this should be a doozy. Berger hasn’t looked great at NCAAs so far dropping both her first sets, but she’s rallied back and still holds the title of Clinch Queen from last year’s finals. If she clinches again I might have to build her an Iron Throne made of rackets. CMS 7-6, 6-3
#4 singles: Sydney Lee (CMS) vs. Polina Kiseleva (WES)
NEW: Kiseleva continues to be on fire, as she cruised through Cartledge this morning. Lee is a formidable opponent for her, though, as she took out Schossberger in two quick sets. I think this one will be a bit of a battle, but I’m going to stick with my regional bias and pick Kiseleva to take the point for Wes. Wes 6-4, 6-3
West: Both of these players have really impressed me so far this week. Kiseleva had her dynamite ground game on display against Cartledge today, and Lee has played with confidence not normally found in a first year at NCAAs. I think Kiseleva’s a tad more consistent, but this match is as close to a toss-up as you can get. It’ll come down to conditioning and who can handle the weight of a national championship on their shoulders. Wes 7-5, 5-5
#5 singles: Caroline Cox (CMS) vs. Alexis Almy (WES)
NEW: This is 100% the match I’m most looking forward to tomorrow. We have the two ladies who CLINCHED the match for their teams facing off against each other in what is sure to be an epic showdown. I think this one will be a marathon for sure, and could it be that this might be our deciding match?? It certainly is a possibility and it sure would be a thriller! Cox has the experience, but I like what I’ve seen from Almy this week. I’m going to go for a dark horse here and choose the freshman over the seasoned vet. Wes 7-5, 6-4
West: This should be another amazing match with two great baseliners. Almy’s been smacking the ball this week, and Cox is a great counter-puncher who can handle the pace. Enormous credit to Almy who was calm under pressure today with a HUGE clinch against Emory. I’ve got to think experience is the difference maker when push comes to shove, and I see Cox winning this one. CMS 6-4, 6-3
#6 singles: Sarah Bahsoun (CMS) vs. Alissa Nakamoto (WES)
NEW: Bahsoun was in control and about to claim victory over Bian when CMS clinched the match today. Nakamoto, on the other hand, didn’t have a great day and fell very quickly to Watson. Normally, I’d pick Nakamoto because she’s been such a rock for Wes, but after today, I’m having second thoughts. I think in the end, I’ll pick the Athena freshman to take this match. CMS 7-5, 6-3
West: In my quarterfinal preview I mentioned that poise from their first-years would be the biggest factor in their ability to repeat. So far both Lee and Bahsoun have had the same mentality that Berger/Cox had last year. Bahsoun’s got the talent, and in the right mindset she has the advantage here. CMS 6-4, 6-2
Overall prediction:
NEW: CMS 5-4
West: CMS 5-3